Open caskets

at a wake or a funeral

always give me a feeling.

A feeling of sadness and emptiness

or of fear and grief.

We go into these rooms

and see a person's life

and family

and pictures

in front of us

and we see their beauty

of who they were

and how amazing they were.

My love for you was like being in that room

with that open casket.

It was beautiful but it grew old

and there was nothing that could stop

the process of it dying.

Someone can paint over it

and highlight the beauty

but in the end,

that beauty disappears

and there is still a leftover feeling

of sadness and emptiness.

The fear that I once felt

that I was going to lose you

instead of thinking about growing old with you

finally faded away

and I did lose you.

Mourning may feel

that it takes forever

and some people may not get over it

and I may never get over you.

But at least I had the opportunity

to love someone as great as you

and to mourn the loss

of who we once were

together and apart.