Heaven

Well, now I've done it  — told her something trite
and comforting, instead of scientific
or ‘I don't know,’ which would have been just right
when she asked where my mommy was. Terrific.

She didn't bat an eyelid, change her pace,
jump from the swing. I think she even smiled.
It's what she'd hoped to hear, to interlace
with other pretty myths told to a child.

She'll shrug this off along with Santa Claus,
Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny. They'll be gone.
Off with the Wizard, too — because? Because.
So says her mom, my daughter, moving on
to other things. Maybe I should have said:
‘She's in our hearts forever. Oh, and dead.’

 Claudia Gary


If you have any thoughts on this poem,  Claudia Gary would be pleased to hear them.