This Day (For Carmel Azzopardi) Poem by LeeAnn Azzopardi

It has been a while since you passed away
Still my heart aches for you
It's almost spring
Yet still, too cold to visit you
I think of you often
But it's this day that my heart hurts the most
Because you were at yr happiest
With a special meal and birthday cake
You didn't need gifts to feel important
But for everyone to get together
That's what I remember
And yr goofy 'Homer Simpson' smile is
All I can see
When I close my eyes at night
I imagine you there locking the door
Like you were trying to save us
From the cruelty of the world
But you're not here
And I am lost in that ritual
Of making the house safe
Even for only myself