ashes to ashes

Death has been with me these last few days.

The papery bruised mask that was once my mother's face. The cold hands that once offered comfort. The words that were left unsaid. 

An empty house and seemingly incomplete endings. 

Now ashes to ashes.

And the memories of others who have passed into the unknown these last few years. Without a whisper.

Just like that.

No goodbyes, just being turned into unbeing within a fraction of a moment.

The ancestors I never met, stalking my dreams.

It puzzles me, this fragility of life. This obsession with the small things. 

And perhaps it's not just her death, their death, but the death of who I once was.

They say the veil is thin this time of year and perhaps it's true. My dreams have been deep and watery this past week.

And yet I must re-weave this reality. This life.

Inhale.