When they told me she left

on a Sunday

I felt less known

My Soul less bright

Aunt Shirley knew me

Like a smile on a spring day

Schoolgirl radiance

Fragrant and cheerful

I was at once young

Yet old

Understood

No longer a child

She made me strong

And I watched her Grace

A snowflake fluttering red

in a flurry of white

A cornflower schoolgirl

Fragrant blue and cheerful

One evening at 11:00 pm

Away from my own home

She made me spaghetti

Indulgence in a meal

And we broke rules

About food and bedtime

With Johnny Carson

And Uncle Ray

Shirley Grace left on a Sunday

And I already miss her on a Tuesday

She’s home now

Making Sunshine

And a holy host of others

Taller and stronger

Lovely and true