She told me once "It tears
me apart to see you in such pain"
And then over the years
She hardly saw all that I had gained
Never meeting standards
She was sure they should reflect
Now grief manifests itself
In a variety of ways, all correct

She made me who I am
Whether she liked it or not
And being proud of that
Is still a comforting thought
Somehow we made it through
With our identities intact
And grief manifests itself
In a variety of ways, all correct

She found someone who brought her
A kind of joy she never knew before
She was falling and he caught her
Just before she hit the floor
He offered something we couldn't give her
A depth of freedom to connect
And grief manifests itself
In a variety of ways, all correct

And I cry
For what could have been
I cry, I cry, I cry
For what could have been
And what we thought we had back then
All the things we could have said

We'll never have the chance again

There's a future gone for all of us now
She passed the point of no return
All the gestures what small comfort allow
But thank you all for your concern
It's a mystery quite how we all go on
Sad or numb, wistful or bereft
And grief manifests itself, on and on
In ways we just have to respect

And grief manifests itself
In a variety of ways,
Through a random list of days,
All select,
All direct,
All correct.

"copywrite" 8:40 a.m. friday july 24, 2020