Dear Aunt Wendy,

if you are reading this

please come home.

Because I saw you praise His name

And at night I watched you weep

when you felt alone.

I could never understand

how a pious woman

such as yourself

ever laid a hand on that bottle.

how a beautiful lady

such as yourself

ever have set foot in an AA meeting.

Because I watched you smile

despite indifference

And light up a room like no other.

you

the woman who taught me that

“If you don’t have anything nice to say

don’t say it.”

But what happened to you

when you were the best

of thirteen children?

what happened between you

and men’s unfaithfulness?

between their cold cruel hearts

and in ability to love?

was that what made you

do it?

Because I’ve seen you walk

about confused

And tired of the world.

is it that when you stopped loving

the people that love you

to love the ones

that don’t deserve you?

did the smell of your first drink

prove more fatal

And useful than the love

we gave you?

we need you

I need you.

so please come back home

Because when you walked through

that door

you took the light with you too.

So

Dear Aunt Wendy,

if you are reading this

please come home.