Memory Mantle

I wear this heavy mantle proudly on my back
as I enter a new decade
and reflet upon my past.
Each circle is a person who enriched my life some way.
Friends who are still here, some who've gone away.
At the bottom are my parents, teachers, family and friends.
It was not an easy childhood.
Yet it gave me a wealth of strength.
But the biggest one of all
is the man who calls me wife.
Five happy decades later,
still the great love of my life.
Birds are often in my art work
Peace is painte as a dove
But it also represents
devotion, faithfulness and love.
Around my head in colors pale
glow my shiny nstars, now gone.
They still guide me, they're still with me
they're the ones I'll always mourn.