My darling Mum, you would be proud of me

so damn proud, that I am still trying so hard, even

when that single step feels like climbing Everest

I keep going, I get up, I show up, I try to carry on

in a world that does not have you in it anymore

and that alone is a triumph, you would beam

because you did not raise me to quit, but persist

You would be profoundly moved that I have not let

the darkness consume me, even when it felt so close

you would see the battles I fought silently within

you would recognise the stubborn resilience you

seeded in me, you would nod in quiet approval

you would know I had finally absorbed your lesson

as you understood my heart better than anyone

You would be bursting with pride at the love I still

give and receive, because you taught me, that love

is not just words or a feeling, but it is everything

it is a way of life, and you lived love, so you would

appreciate your own handiwork, you would see

your legacy living on in every connection nurtured

every kindness extended, yes, you would be chuffed

I know, with a certainty that settles deep in my soul

you would be so damn proud of me, I know, you are

watching, you are smiling, that proud crinkle-eyed

smile, is just for me, and I hear what you would say

because you did say it throughout my life, in a

thousand ways, even now, you are not here to say it

aloud, but your love that formed those words never left