Hey Mama, Where Are You Now?

 

For Annalisa Rodriguez (May 29, 1972 – August 23, 2020)

 

My friend, you left last night,

felt the light calling you home

to where you are free to dance and

move beyond those long-time companions:

pain, worry, anger, regret.

Last night you left them all behind.

 

Hey Mama, where are you now that

you no longer stand upon feet of clay?

Do you ride the waves, gentle mermaid,

waves of wind, breath of Spirit?

Your body can now become foam

on the waves of your beloved Yemaya.

 

Hey Mama, where are you now that

you no longer have to carry those

burdens you longed to release,

surrender to the god

of your understanding?

You’ve finally let go of everything…

 

And now…

 

I hear your laughter on the wind.

See you dance upon the waves and

shine in the night. Mama, you’re still

the life of the party, the brightest star.

I no longer wonder where you are.

You’re right here.

 

©2020 Joanne Young Elliott

 

My friend Annalisa left us last week. She had been ill a very long time, but she never let it stop her from living and finding joy. She leaves behind a son. If you feel so inclined, please donate to her Go Fund Me campaign to help with expenses. Thank you. https://gf.me/u/ytvhkp

All the Shades

It was the color of every vehicle

my family ever owned.

The first, a pickup the color of the bird,

that sweet bringer of joy and happiness.

The second, a van the color of sky

from which I daydreamed on long drives.

The last, navy. Darker than all the rest.

The van we took our last trip in as a family.



Blue was my mother’s favorite color.

Blue was the color her favorite

singer’s suede shoes.

Blue was the color of the house

my father built for her.

Blue was the color of the tiny vase

I once got her for Mother’s Day.

Blue was the color of her mood

after my father died.

Blue was the color of her new car,

an escort into a new life.

Blue is the color of the flowers

painted on her urn.



©2020 Joanne Young Elliott

Will You Ever Love Yourself?

Image by stux on Pixabay

When the stars come to Earth,

when the oceans live within,

when the unmovable is moved,

when creatures of Earth become

creatures of air,

 

when all that isn’t, is.

Then, will you love yourself?

 

What if all that were true now?

 

The butterfly begins as a creature of Earth.

The unmovable mountain is always moving.

The oceans are released though your tears.

 

There is no reason to not love yourself.

You are literally star dust.

The stars, they dream through you.

 

©2020 Joanne Young Elliott

 

Inspired by “Will You Ever Love Yourself?” a musical composition by Hammock.

https://youtu.be/iuyMFOfXVtw