As the waning moon rises in the East,

I take awe in its three-dimensionality.

Tonight, it is bright and clear

As I take my passenger home.

Then I find slumber in a familiar room.

This room catapults me back to childhood.

From here though, I no longer see the moon.

I find both peace and angst here,

Knowing life is changing before my eyes.

The toll of this past week was high,

Although my own stakes were not impeded.

But the love of family and the realizations…

Of how much my family has changed,

It tears my heart out knowing I can do…

Nothing.

So I try to have jokes to make them laugh,

Redirect when things are getting too heavy,

And just help, even if that means only

holding a hand of someone facing the worst,

Hugging the shoulders of someone forgetful,

Or guiding someone through complexity

She once helped me navigate herself.

Now details matter more than ever,

Like…the scars on the moon’s surface,

The glow it casts below,

it’s pull on the waters,

Ever changing.