God Stole Pink From the Sky Today

When I heard the news
You’re gone forever,
Sister, I stared into space
Shocked and in pain.
 
“God stole pink from the sky today,”
Is all I could think to say.
Your favorite lipstick color
Imprinted on my brain.
 
You used to say “Get on your broom
And fly over to see me.”
We’d laugh at our absurdity.
 
It’s true I looked to you
For comfort of your familiar face.
Maybe we didn’t always agree
But we turned to each other in times of misery.
 
Maternal losses only sisters comprehend.
The gravity of life, the frustration of not being heard
Again and again.
 
Your laugh always preceded you
Announcing your arrival in any place.
“Deb’s here,” we’d say—“the party can begin.”
 
Know that you are impossible to forget
The twinkle of laughter, the cry of your tears.
We went through this life together
Like a spiral still connected
In those empty spaces
Turned into years.

 God stole pink from the sky today
But soon I will see you in each and every sunset.
Raspberry-red wine, cloudy and glowing
Mirrors your memory
Forever in mine.
-LT-

My deep condolences go out from my heart, to my two nephews and one niece, in addition to three grand-nieces and one grand-nephew.