my stand-in mom
storyteller pranster Rock of Gibraltar presence
in my life  smart ascending feminist   you
will never know how many times
your unfaltering acceptance grabbed
my hand and hauled me up from the cliff
even from a distance   you are my north star
I hear your smile feel your eyes tell me
it’s okay I’m here  I’ll always be here

in the throes of dementia
you still hug me close pat my back while
I inhabit your world of lost memory
and meet you in each moment