It was a day that I was bound to dread.
I woke up in the hospital and found you dead.
I told the nurse that I thought you had died and she examined you.
She found no pulse and she confirmed what I believed to be true.
Your death occurred ten years ago today.
After living for 64 years, you passed away.
I woke up my brother and told him that you died.
When I went home, I licked my wounds and cried.
I had to accept the fact that your life had come to an end.
You weren't just my mother, you were also my closest friend.
I loved you and people know how important you were to me.
You have been gone from my life for one tenth of a century.
You died even though I begged God to save you when I prayed.
Rest in Peace, Mom, today you've been dead for an entire decade.

[Dedicated to Agnes Johnson (1948-2013) who passed away ten years ago today on March 6, 2013]