On Mother's Death

He saw the world through her eyes
Those eyes, they held his world.
For none could compare his love for her.
In her lap he'd stay curled.

In his life of ten and two years,
He had her beside him always.
I'll be with you forever,
Fear not my love, she says.

Her strenght he knew to be inside,
Wisdom filled those eyes to the brim.
She ever wore a stiff dress.
Her manner so neat and prim.

She could be stern to the world,
She could have perhaps been harsh.
But when he stood in front of her.
She turned but all into marsh.

She lay there resting in utter peace,
A calm look upon her face.
Whose lap would he keep his head on now?
How would the world he face?

She'd told him not to cry,
Not ever to shed a tear.
For now she said, through his eyes, 

she could see him face his fears.

***

Image: Painting by Pierre Renoir