Our last hug

An excerpt from Still Here: A Poetry Memoir of Grief & Love.

a year ago 
you hugged me 
for the last time 

your strong arms
held me for 
a moment
an i love you
a good to see you

not knowing it
wasn’t just 
about that week
it was everything

you held me in life
in a way i rarely 
knew i needed

your nods and
support made
me think i could fly

your love showed
me worlds beyond
myself

we didn’t know
it was the last one
otherwise
i would have
never let go