Rhonda---Aphrodite the goddess of love
spilling compassion caring and friendship
whose soul vibrates in harmony with ours
Rhonda---'twas King Solomon as one of her few masters
in her many lives who gave her his gift of Wisdom
which she by example prods us leads us to higher heights
Rhonda---Antigone who protects a banished father
is loyal to brother to sister defies the King who then
entombs her body but Antigone's soul lies within Rhonda
Rhonda---who takes from the Book of Job faith hope and a belief
in humanity with deep concern for the sufferings of humanity
and has the wisdom to know the transcendent meaning of a life
is in the supreme spirit and actions of each human's experience
Rhonda---quixotic pragmatic
an ever present presence
hovers wraith-like still a presence
we neither can nor wish to dismiss.
* * *
One day about a week or more before she died I was leaving and Rhonda said, it's so hard to say good bye---and the next day I wrote this---
Leaving
when young all is featherweight, light and easy;
so when leaving it's easy to say, so long,
goodbye,ta ta, toodle--oo, see you, but
when we ramble life's paths, through meadow, forests:
grazed, bruised by brambles, one feels a weight, not heavy,
though no longer fluffy, downy, still:
on leaving, we gaily say, bye now, cheerio,
with time, with miles, miles of trod, and treading:
now weary, drained, depleted, lingeringly,
reluctantly leaving, we reach to touch,
stretch each letter, stretch each word, then slowly say,-------
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