Words on a Gravestone

Can I rest for a while, my dear, 
just to smile
and reflect, all alone
as I sit on your stone,
to read the short poem upon it?
They’re just words, I know, 
but still they will show
just who you were,
and those who still care
can take comfort 
from that little sonnet.

A mother, a friend, 
it matters none in the end;
You’re just a lost soul,
of whom life took its toll,
and now you lie here as a token
to women who strived, 
while they were alive
to nurture and care,
to comfort and share
their love for the lame 
and the broken.

A few years have passed 
since I came here last,
and though I am older
respect grows no colder,
for she was both humble and brave.
A remarkable human, 
this unknown woman,
who, over the years
still moves me to tears
as I read the words on her grave.