Our Lady of Perpetual Astonishment

in the receding of those delights shared lovingly, cared for, treasured. the glory of sunset at the end of a day perfectly spent. as this joy becomes a history you could easily settle into sleep. roll your back that quakes with quiet sobbing toward these shared beauties, their accompanying hope. your recurrent struggle to keep it all in sight, alive, possible; how often you have rested your very existence on potential. have you learned anything? perhaps not how, but what to keep—the parts of the missing that must stay conscious. the hope that kills you; the practices that keep you alive. the reminiscences and desires; these delights need tending, now. as the moments become memories among the tears of gratitude and departure, as sleep beckons cold comfort, you seek a how for staying wakeful.