Tough Love

62 years later, can't believe you still kept every letter
A portal in time, flashback to moments when I learned
Patience, tough love, and patience
Now only silence

Another day on edge, cognizant of what could happen next
Weak hearts, weak limbs support each other in frail co-dependence
Thank god I have my daughter
Ever present as our bodies falter
Sharing pain is such strange relief, I'm not sure if I could call it peace

We met so far from home, but you feel much farther now
A new form of distance, warm touch yet you're miles away
No one ever found a love that's perfect, just certain that the time was worth it
My rock from the Rock
Can't stand to see you like this

Waiting for another doctor to tell us what's wrong
Delusional, they'll say she's been misdiagnosed all along
Another hour passed, how long could this day drag on?
"Tough love," rings in my ears, I won't accept that you're gone

Mind went back to the start it's now formatted and dark
Unsure if she can recognize the man that captured her heart
Hazy eyes, redefined by the absence inside
So aware, how unfair it is I have to mourn twice
All I've known is "no more," refuse to walk through that door
I'll sit at home and ponder what it takes to carry on