The 'phone message said "It's your Mother, she's dead"
And the world was a lonelier place
No more would I hear that voice I held dear
And I'd miss that wrinkled old face
I gazed at the sky with a tear in my eye
But the present was not what I saw
I saw a young lad with a Mum and a Dad
And my heart felt so broken and raw

I knuckled the mist from my eyes with a fist
And tried to make logic prevail
I thought with a sigh that the old ones must die
For the cycle that's life cannot fail
I thought how the new must be given their due
And the aged accept they must die
But that yesterday boy full of innocent joy
Stood forlorn in my innermost eye

I thought of the years, of the joys and the tears
And I thought how the Lord had been kind
How as children we grew, welcomed each day anew
Without sorrow to sadden our mind
How the years hastened by, how our Dad came to die
How the sorrow was heavy to bear
How the years gently eased all the pains from bereaved
And left memories for offspring to share

And I thought how each year, bringing death ever near
Seemed to bring with it wisdom and peace
How she managed with grace and a smile on her face
To prepare for that final release
And now she is gone and we all stand alone
That old body is silent and cold
But the spark that was life in that Mother and Wife
In the depths of our heart we now hold

         --------- End ---------