Tree Good's Poetry

I had the strangest dream last night.

Perhaps not so strange though, considering the real world outcome.

I was in that twilight time between sleeping and waking when my mom and Terry came into my room. Terry sat weightless at the foot of the bed while mom lay down beside me and hugged me.

I felt so happy to see them. I knew I was dreaming but it felt real and I didn't want it to end.

Mom told me that she would always be around whenever I wanted her. While I basked in her hugs I asked her if it hurt to die and she laughed and said it hurt more to live.

I asked her what it was like on the other side. She told me there was work to be done for anyone who wanted to do it.

I looked at my brother, who had not spoken a word and asked mom why he looked so sad. She told me not to worry and that it would be OK. 

I felt myself starting to wake up and struggled to stay in the dream. I asked her if she had seen my Grandma but before she could answer, the daylight pulled me into wakefulness.

Dang light.

I woke up, got myself a cup of tea and noticed that my message light was flashing. It was my sister Charlene. I called her back and found out that my niece, Christa (Terry's daughter), had died last night. She'd had a heart attack. The same thing that took Terry. She was only 35 years old.