Blood Ties, or Ode to My Grandmother

You were a stranger
Yet your death means something
Something that's hard to define
It's hard to believe
Yet believe it I must
That you were ever mine

You were always there
On the edge of perception
Because we had a tie
A tie of family
Written in blood
And in the ground you now lie

In my eyes, you were eternal
And now you're simply gone
It's hard to perceive
That this tie can be broken
Snapped in an instant
And now we are left to grieve

I wish I'd made more of an effort
I wish I had visited more
Just to talk, to chat, say hello
But now I can't
The chance is passed
And now there are stories that I'll never know

And though I'll never know your life
A fact I'll forever regret
I'll always be grateful and glad
Because you were here
You bore me my aunts
And half of my world: my dad

Part of me is of you
Passed down by my father
My cousins are also of you
So I write these words
As thanks for my family
It's the very least I can do

And though I'll never know you, stranger
I shall mourn for your passing, our loss
In my heart and mind you'll stay
My family and I
Shall mourn and move on
Because we know we'll see you one day.