<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><p class="p1" style="margin: 0px 0px 3px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Loose Buttons</p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><span class="s2"></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Funny the things</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">You remember </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">When your mom dies</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Like how whenever</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">We were driving</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">And spotted </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Dark stormy clouds</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">With light behind</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">She described them </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">As silver linings </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">In heaven</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><span class="s2"></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">The texture of her short</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Curls in my five year old</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Hands as I twirled </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Each piece around </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">My fingers and she sang</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">“Mary had a little lamb…”</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">And “Puff the magic dragon” </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">To lull me to sleep </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Each night as I held</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Her ever so tightly </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Not letting go</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><span class="s2"></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">The patterned sheets </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">With bright yellow flowers</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Crisp and tucked in</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Just so at each corner</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Of the bed</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">And the top sheet </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Folded down with the </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Lacey floral piece showing </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Flowers dancing as the </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">morning sunlight </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">warmed my face</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><span class="s2"></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">And the smell </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Of the black coffee </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">She drank brewing </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">When waking up </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">As a child</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Hearing the cadence </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Of her voice </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">from the kitchen</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">nudging me awake</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Comforted knowing</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">It was time to get up</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><span class="s2"></span><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Peeking in her jewelry box </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Looking at her baubles</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">And trinkets like a </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Bowling league pin</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Or a pearl ring</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Clip on earrings</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">She never wore</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">And loose buttons</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">knowing they were treasures</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">Of the life she lived </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2">And who she was</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2"><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="s2"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span>- Jocelyn Arild</div><div class=""><span class="s2"><br class=""></span></div></div></body></html>