You are with me still

Though your body has turned to dust and reclaimed by earth,

Your ghost still lurks … right. Here.

Your scent lingers on the petals of every rose,

Your name whispered in the sizzling of waves striking against pearlescent sand,

And your hands, your hands, the warmth of them never left my own.

You still exist amongst the sugary spread of stars, the foamy gush of the stream, the fierce yet soothing song of a storm …

And when time has passed and I forget your honey skin and crystal eyes and the comfort of your embrace, your soul shall stay within my throbbing heart, with me,

like an undying flame,

Pure, timeless, ablaze for as long as the sun still sets and the moon still shines, as long as the flowers still bloom, and the crickets still sing, as long as an eternity, you will exist in me, forevermore.