A Place for Doves

Through winter’s mist and gentle rain
I walk the cobbled path to visit my beloved—
A pilgrimage of sorts these past few years.
Three angels perch atop the oval columbarium,
Keeping watch over the niches where they rest.

That unfamiliar word, gifted to us by the Romans,
Columba, meaning “dove,” and arium, “a place for.”
A place for doves—I smile at the image
Of the souls of our loved ones loosed from their earthly nests,
A flight of doves, set free, soaring in perfect arc.

Her name is nestled between her mother’s to the left
And our daughter and my father’s to the right.
One day, we will be reunited,
And my name will rest below hers.

The silver coin etched with ballet slippers,
The polished stone whispering laughter,
Sit on the ledge where I left them years ago.
Each day she spent on earth was filled with both.

I close my eyes and feel that tug at my heart.
I see the shape of her face, hear the laughter from her lips,
As she moves to the sounds of a song from our youth.

My cheeks, wet with tears mixed with the mist of a light rain,
I feel grief embrace me like an old friend.

Then, as though touched by unseen hands,
I turn and hear the faint whisper of her voice in the wind.
I listen closely, as I once did, to her honey-do lists,
That leave no space for sorrow or melancholia.

There are our little ones, near and far,
Our children’s children—
Ball games to cheer, birthdays to celebrate,
And old friends who need a check-in.

Self-care, mindful sips, and nourishing meals,
Journeys West and North to visit family.
There are passions to pursue—
Photographs to capture,
Stories to tell,
And poems to scribe.
In life, she was my muse.
Now she guides and renews my purpose.

I touch my fingers to my lips
And brush them along the lines of her name,
Etched in the face of the niche in the columbarium.
I bring them back to my lips, remembering her kiss,
Her lips, the softest I’ve ever known.

As I turn to walk the cobbled path,
A flutter of wings stirs behind me.
I pause, listening—
Imagining the soft coo of a dove
As it returns to its resting place.