she will remain

we gather at the grave
to see

a friend off.
but to where is she going.

strange
not to wave and say goodbye
and have her

turn with her smile
so bright,
so wide.

it will be odd to not hear
her voice,
the sound of her laugh

across
the line.
but there will be no sadness
in her absence,
instead she will

remain.
perhaps she's only late,
she broke a nail
or heel

as she often does.
maybe she misplaced
her umbrella and ran

back to her flat
in the pouring rain.