I vowed never to return
not in winter
but Mom made her departure in February leaving us
to book flights from Orlando to Chicago
carry-ons, one each
and an empty bag for grief
to be filled up there
checked on the return
Blizzard warnings
school closings
a rental with Arizona plates
(That’s not snow-worthy rubber!)
we raced ahead, we thought,
of the storm
into its waiting arms
snow pouring off the Lake
I didn’t pack enough
Kleenex to wipe it away
I couldn’t help but wonder
as we slid towards that
18-wheeler that if Mom
only knew
she might have lingered until June
She always was a worrier.
© Jilly’s 2016
Jilly's 