Monday Morning Musings:
“To see the stars behind the sun. . .
Somewhen a boy is counting stars.
Somewhen a man is photographing light.
Somewhen his finger strokes the stubble on another’s cheek,
and for a moment everything is relative.”
Some of you know the news already that my mother died early Saturday morning, but this is my official WordPress announcement.
She had been in a nursing home, and she died of Covid 19-related complications. Yes, this is real, and I can’t tell you how angry I am at the people who are not taking this seriously, including the horror in the White House or his enablers. Given the current circumstances, we were unable to be with her, and we do not when we will have any type of memorial service for her.
Friday I went into a flurry of comfort cooking and baking. We visited with our daughters virtually, as we’ve been doing recently on Friday nights.
That night, I dreamt several times of people waving goodbye. Each time, I woke up after the dream with the image lingering in my head. Then early in the morning, my sister called with the news. For a long time, my sisters and I have called each other, saying quickly, “No one has died.” She told me this time it wasn’t one of those calls because my mom had died.
My parents were married to and divorced from each other twice, but he was the love of her life, and I think she was of his, too. Towards her end, she remembered only the good times, and she thought my father lived in the same nursing home. He’s been dead for over twenty years.
On Sunday morning, I went for a long walk. At the river, I cried, threw a stone into the water, and said goodbye to my mother, as I watched the ripples on the surface and watched the river flow.

Delaware River, West Deptford, NJ April 2020
Two stars in orbit—
causing time and space to shift
in tumbling waves
the universe ripples,
stops, frozen–
a moment caught,
a family vacation,
you laughing,
heels kicking in the air
as you fling yourself across a motel bed
young and beautiful
somewhere
learning a new dance with a girlfriend,
or meeting a young man at a party–
he runs after you
to get your phone number
traveling in the wrong direction–
or the right one
to somewhere
you see the stars behind the sun.
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