A Cycle of Influence

A family surrounds the hospital bed,

The raspy breath of a beloved becomes shallow and weak.
"How much longer?" her daughter questions shakily.

The silence – deafening,
Their tears – flow freely,
Their memories – rewind like an old movie,
Her death – heartbreaking,
Her influence – never forgotten.
The doctor whispers, "She's gone."

A family fills the waiting room,

The anticipated cry of a new life echoes stronger and louder.
"How much longer?" a new brother shouts excitedly.
The crying – musical,
Her smile – contagious,
Her memories – yet to be created,
Her birth – miraculous.
A grandmother's influence remains.
The doctor grins, "It's a girl."

A grandmother passes,
A grandchild is born,
Though their spirits may cross,
Their lives never touch.

They share a name,

They share a lineage,

They share another's love.
Forever separated in body,
Yet forever connected by a mother's influence.

The grandmother taught the mother,
The mother now teaches the daughter.
And the grandmother's beliefs, passed on by the daughter,
Become the bridge over the chasm of life and death.

And an influence now deceased,
Remains alive in another.

The years unfold – the child matures.
The mother passes,
A daughter remains,
A child is born.
And influence bridges the chasm between life and death,
Once again.

Melissa Wilson