the blue scarf

nothing prepares
you for death and dying.
each one
unique in its quick or slow
way
of disappearing
from your life,
becoming shadows,
leaving remnants behind.
take
this scarf for example
that hangs in
the closet as if she might
return one day
to throw it around
her neck, soft and warm,
a sea blue,
as bright and
sparkling,
as who she was
the moment she was born.