When the sun is shining and you feel blessed

Think of me now and then think of me then

When the curtains close and you cannot rest

Think of me over and over again

Find bits of me in each person and place

Think of me think of me think of me think

When reality hits you in the face

Think of me with every breath and each wink

So think of me and all I'm made up of

Pack it into the baggage you're hauling

When you think that you are falling in love

When you find out that you are just falling

Remember my trust when I fell for you

Remember the hell that you put me through

I remember the room

in the back of your house

with the old box TV

on a thin metal shelf

and reclining chairs

that sat against the walls.

I remember the music-

Papa always loved to play the piano.

The room in the back had no door,

so his music always let itself in

and floated around the room,

making itself, and us feel, right at home.

(his favorite song still dances through my head sometimes)

I remember when the music stopped.

I wasn’t old enough to understand why,

but you started watching TV with us.

I remember the movies.

You only ever had two:

Hairspray and Black Beauty.

(I still can’t watch either without thinking of you)

I remember when the movies stopped too.

I remember the quiet.

When the white walls

became the loudest thing in the house,

and the silence

told me everything

the grown-ups wouldn’t say.

I remember when they cleared the room:

The day your hospital bed replaced the recliners.

Your nurses had to stay around the clock

and all our family from out of town

started to visit.

I remember the day the quiet broke:

Dad picked us up early.

I didn’t let anyone see me cry.

I remember the day they cleared the bed too.

and our room

was just a room.

I remember saying goodbye.