Afterward,

I waited for my breath to return,

waited for the sun to shine once again.

I listened for your voice;

silence filled the pathways

and the hallways where you'd walked.

Afterward,

I wept in the emptiness 

that once was the bed 

where we'd slept, where we'd loved. 

Afterward,

the clouds parted

the sun broke through.

I sang and I danced

in the pathways and the hallways

where you'd walked.

I gathered lavender and jasmine

for the bed where I dreamed.

Afterward,

I took a deep breath

and moved

forward.