Do Not Lose Faith in the Flowers

I wrote a draft of this poem in November when my stepdad was in the hospital before he passed on December 20th. He was in the hospital for 3 months, and it was such an unsettling and hard time for my family. Most of all my heart hurt for my Mom. This is probably one of those things I would never have shared but my writing group reacted to it strongly, and like they often do they made me look at something I’d written differently. I’m still not sure about it - and have given it only one rewrite, but it feels like it should live somewhere. So here it lives now.

Do not lose faith in the flowers
don’t lose faith that he will breathe again on his own 
that he will come out of the hospital, 
out of this coma, 
that machines will not be needed to keep him alive. 

Don’t lose faith that he will be home again
next to your mother in their bed, 
that he will laugh his full belly deep laugh, 
that he will smile his wide toothy smile 
that makes you smile and 
everyone else in the room smile 
because he is just so goddamn warm and loving 
and how can this gentle giant be so still for so long. 

Do not lose faith in the flowers
in the soil that feeds them 
that cradles their roots 
that gives them a place to sleep. 

Do not lose faith in the strong limbs
the bright green leaves, 
their heads opening up to the sun 
breathing in the rain. 

Do not lose faith 
it’s the only vine keeping her standing right now 
and we all need to hold it tight so she does not drop 
so this does not fall 
because none of us want to see what happens 
when we let go.