A Resting Place

Without warning,
images of you disrupt
the brief quiet of my mind
like storm clouds heavy
with water insistent
to burst upon a clear sky.

And in a flash,
I am flooded
with memories of you
holding me
when I was a child.
My little body and arms
wrapped tightly around you
like a baby koala bear
while you moved from 
one place to the next
in search for
a resting place
and a face.

Mom, I can still hear
your restless heart
pounding
against my ears.
The deafening pain
that relentlessly
pursued you.
Your tumultuous sea
that threatened
to drown me.

Oh how I yearn to break
through the stillness
of your ashes
to give you this poem
and to tell you
how sorry I am
that my love
was too fragile
to carry the weight
of your tears
and that I pray
that the infinite hole
you felt in your soul,
that I now feel in mine
will shortly be filled
by the One
who has no beginning
and no end.

Patty Cannon has been a Registered Nurse at UCSF since 2001. She has worked in cardiac critical care, neuro intensive care, hemeoncology, school nursing, and currently, in research. In the early days of the pandemic, she was redeployed to the CATCH team which stands for the Covid, Assessment, Treatment, Coordination Hub. This pilot was launched to help patients get much needed procedures and surgeries. Her passion is her faith, photography, and the written word in all its forms. Her poetry has appeared in several magazines and books.