2024

You died this year.
But you also learned to talk this year.
This is the year your heart stopped beating.
But it's also the year you learned to dance--
to Destiny's Child and Usher and Ms. Rachel.
You got the whole family and, later, a whole church full of people
doing the chicken dance.
This is the year you gave your first hug to a friend.
We didn't know it was also a goodbye.
This is the year you learned to sing yourself to sleep
and to let Bunny bring you comfort.
This is the year PoPo and Grandpa stayed with you overnight.
Our reunion back with you was pure joy --
a parable for this long time apart now.
This is the year you wowed us with your rendition of "E.I.O"
You learned Daddy's subtle humor and Mommy's dramatic expression.
This is the year you had your first egg hunt, hosted your first party and told everyone to go home at bedtime. The year you learned to brush Mommy's teeth and to take your friends to the zoo, to go up the down slide, and to jump on a trampoline.
This is the year you starred in a book.
The year you told us to "Try Again."
This is the year you learned to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
and also the year you went over it.
This is the year that our hearts died too.
And also the year that we are hearing you from heaven, telling us to
"Sing. Sing. Sing. Sing. Sing."