NO ONE NOTICED

Written for {ruser:larryp}'s new poetry contest

NO ONE NOTICED

For months she gave away bits and pieces
of her life, those collected treasures,
that meant so much to her.
She found "homes" for her music,
her books, her favorite things -
No one noticed.

She stopped going to church,
gave up her membership in the club,
canceled her subscriptions.
Spending quiet hours, not talking,
not needing the company
of family or friends.
No one noticed.

It was only afterward, when we laid
her to rest, that the answer to "why"
became a bit clearer.
She could not stand another loss,
another day of uncertainty,
silent grief she held inside.
How could we NOT have noticed?

A sad day in November
before the snows came,
and just before Thanksgiving,
she chose to leave us.
Somehow the birds still sang,
and the sun came up
each morning.
People still laughed and chatted -
No one noticed.

Countrymom
6/18/06