One Song Breaks Me In Two Poem by Bill Galvin

I was driving down from some high altitude,
And words in a song began breaking me down;
I'm usually careful not to play this tune,
Because it brings me to tears, that stirring sound.
While I'm driving down some steep switchbacks,
In a long narrow valley, with cliffs all around,
My mood is shifted, and my memory backtracks,
To your last hours and minutes; sadness abounds.
The tears started falling continuously down,
Like the river beside me, continuously down.

The song "Carry You Home" is an anthem for you,
And the troubles you had with your body failing;
The poignant lyrics, they always break me in two;
Because I carried you home, when you were ailing.
I carried you home, to where you wanted to leave,
I was holding your hand, that I had held for so long,
And watched you take your very last breath,
And saw your last smile, as you silently left.

I ride a winding road, and it's sometimes revealing,
That piece of my heart you have, not concealing,
What can come out of nowhere, when I'm riding alone,
And searching for a new place to call as my home.
The tears freely flow, falling quietly down,
Like this river running near me, quietly down.

But, the valley opens up before me ahead;
Tears turn to salt; for in desert, quickly dry;
Early evening colors await me instead,
And tonight I'll look up into the starlit sky,
And say thanks for the blessing of knowing you,
And for all these roads, be they smooth or rough;
And even some tears are an honor for me, too,
As a brief, deep, remembrance of departed Love.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
I peer into tonight's clear starry bright sky,
And realize we may all need an occasional cry;
And even though it may come without warning,
After every good cry, follows a good morning.

And though that song's lyric always breaks me in two,
I still always remember that one good life with you.