Jason’s Gift
by Sandy Goodman

When you left
You took the cool breeze of summer with you.
Rainbows paled,
Smiles became grimaces
And the air I sucked into my aching soul was fetid and thick.
Prayers became jokes,
Faith turned to doubt,
And hope lay buried under a rock.
Sunsets came in browns and grays,
muted by the dullness in my soul.
Then you returned….
Swooping into my heart,
transforming my reality,
And bringing me truth-
A gift throbbing with the intensity of spirit.
Now rainbows pulse with brilliance,
Breezes rustle emerald leaves,
And the air I breathe gently cools my burning soul.
I understand that to know turquoise,
I must first know gray.
And to know pink,
I must understand brown.
I had to huddle in the black of an endless night
before I could grasp the radiance of a purple dawn.
Without sleep,
There is no awakening.
Without darkness,
…. No light.
And without knowing the desperate,
screaming agony of death,
I did not know life.

Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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