we lost them

she seamed so frail when she finally passed
fingers gnarled in arthritic distortion
the pain lingered in her eyes
not long ago they tinkled hymns so carefree

they twisted to conform to the ivory keys
danced lightly in the face of loss
with the heart of a wounded angel
lost in April winds
on a mountain top
with engines roaring
fumes distorting
and lives being put on hold

remembering the days of
Gunsmoke late nights
Cronkite salutations
distrusted leaders

we lost him then

he seamed so strong and proud
to be a Dad and share his name
he wandered above the crowd
Einstein with a touch of Leary
Lincoln, with the heart of Roosevelt
Easy rider, with a taste of honey

sweet on the eyes
and every girls dream
sharp like a switchblade on a
hot August night
in a town with no crime
a vigilante in the wrong era

James Dean couldn't hold a candle
De Niro only wished he could
sign on as the leading man
in a role that was stopped premature
of being fantastic

we lost him then

and I think that her bones
started to to twist and shout
and that very moment
when she knew
he would not see them grow
They would always wonder
Why he never aged in pictures
Why he always wore the same black rimmed glasses
Why he stood next to the same car
And worked on it the same day of the week
With hood up and sun bearing down
They'd only know him in photographs
They'd seen him standing with the same smile
But never saw the frown

and I think it ate her alive
her heart tore in two
the pieces multiplied
and before you know it
she had little pieces of heart
all over her body
trying to reach up to heaven
and go home
and her heart broke and it broke
and then finally it twisted and turned
like an oak climbing up
and left us 

we lost her then