The Veil

The picture of you sitting in that

Old beat-up Queen Anne style chair

That flitted across my computer screen yesterday

Jolted me to my very core

I never met you in this lifetime,

But in dreams I have seen you many times

And I have seen you sitting in that chair

Reading a book and drinking whiskey

Oh, you were a reader and enjoyed your whiskey

From time to time

Straight up, no ice

You’ve been gone from this lifetime

For a bit more than a decade

But just mere seconds in the world you are in now

I didn’t know you at all in human form

I just knew of you

And now I know you in essence only

You, like so many others, have made your presence apparent to me

In ways very similar to this

Some call it a gift

Some think I am cursed

And damned to hell for what I see

But this is just my reality

This is my truth

Lately, more and more

I see you standing near me

Just over my left shoulder

The veil between us is very thin

And it does not shimmer

I can feel your discomfort

At approaching me

You don't like asking for help

Especially from strangers

But the deep desire to communicate

That you are okay

That you are safe

That the pain is gone

Can no longer be denied by your soul

So, you stand and stare at me

Just out of the corner of my eye,

But no words or coherent thoughts come through

What do you want?

Do you have a message?

Why did you choose me?

Why are you here?

Do you need me to do something?

Or are you just waiting and waiting

And waiting

To come back

To come back and touch the ones you love

Do you just want your loved ones to know

That you still sit in that old chair

And you still read all the time

And you still love your Tennessee whiskey

But most of all, you still love them

For eternity

- Julie O'Hara 2023

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