His mind’s eye saw her
wander the garden, still
the moon faintly distant
in the morning sky
above the trees.

She was folding the past
into a small linen cloth
to place in her wooden box
of treasures kept from
teenage years, and after.

So she might know
he shared this loss,
yet far away
he held her firm
in love’s embrace.

Though new life stirred
in every corner bright
she would not sketch
its birth, or paint its fruit,
nor print its leaves.

But she would let
this green shade
gather under her gaze
for just one more day.
Only then, farewell.