i believe in the soul (Ash Wednesday)

i believe in the soul
because i knew immediately
that hers was gone

a physical and spiritual weight removed
departed from my body
and off to who knows where —

but somewhere.

i believe in the soul
because sometimes when i least expect it
i feel hers nearby

a presence as smooth and thick
as peanut butter slathered on bread,
heavy with love
and unmistakably my daughter.

i believe in the soul
because there is more to death than losing life

because there is more
there is much more
there is much, much more.