After You Died Poem by Angela Bontle Ditumiso

After you died,
You became a sore wound
We were afraid to temper with
Right in places hidden,
We couldn't sit under the same shelter
To reminisce about you
But my mom,
My mom sits under the shade of a tree
All-day and throws your name around like a seed
Every one of her children goes by your name now
We never know which one she's calling
So we all answer, all five of us
Answer when she calls
We answer when we don't want to
Anything to cushion her from the loss
I heard silence is the splinter
That remains in the flesh
When your loved ones are gone
How do you rest in peace
When she forever tugs at your finger
My mom, she loves you so much
She imagines you alive every time
You're not coming back