The Empty Chair

Some talk of loneliness 

After the loss of a loved one

Every day we see something

That reminds us

You are gone

But the hardest thing to see

Is the empty chair

Holiday dinners

Christmas Eve

We all gathered but

It was so hard

To say your name

We tip toed around it

Talking about anything else

The present

The future 

But never the past

But I could see it 

In their eyes

We were all 

Thinking of you

Dinner time was 

Lasagna this year

Mom could not cook

Your favorite honey ham

That was a first

So many “firsts” 

We all had to face

The first Thanksgiving

Christmas

New Years Eve

And your birthday 

All passed us by

You were not there

And never will be again

So as I drove home

I was only aware 

of

How much we all missed you

And

the empty chair.

Dedicated to my younger brother Curt who passed on April 12 2022.