We first met you when you were ninety
or thereabouts, slender, verging on frail.
In your softness there was a core of firmness
like a full wind within a sail.
You chose to live in harmony with what you
knew was true.
We were enchanted by your sweetness,
though you surely meant only to be you.
You brought us the lesson of the hungry wolves
that live within us like fighting brothers.
We can choose to feed our avarice, or we can choose
compassion to meet the needs of others.
The seasons turn and life, with all its trials,
moves on far too fast.
The brightness of the flower, rich and vibrant now,
all too soon is past.
Too soon you slipped away from life,
leaving us behind
with memories of your gentle presence,
warm and kind.