August Dawn

You left us
as the day began to break.

Somewhere between
the dark letting go
and the first light
touching the earth,

you slipped beyond
what earthly hands could hold.

I stayed.

Forever changed.

As I watched your last breath
leave your body,

I learned with a finality
that still echoes in my heart:

time is not promised,
breath is not guaranteed,
a life can end
while still full of love.

And when August comes,
I will remember
the dawn you left—

not only as the morning
I lost you,

but as the day
I first heard the voice
that begged me
to live.