can I trust this world again
after years of tending to our ailing child now gone
the energy spent returns
does she send it back to us
how do we begin to receive it

I carried little Liza on my shoulders
which was bouncy fun
played peekaboo in the window reflections
until she grew tired
so tired she could bounce no more
with her hands clasping my forehead
her trunk draped over my head
she melted deep into sleep
eventually I laid her down
and yet years later I carry her still
now she is light
and my back is strong