Dolls for the deceased

*** If only we had skilled hands We would retrieve our beloved. We make dolls for those who left us, Cotton dolls with the same features of the departed, We bring back mother, father and siblings from the absence Replicate the same smiles, Skin color and wrinkles of the hands, The same faces, eyes and distinguishing marks. If only we could make a fatherly embrace Or the smell of a mother's dress to shelter us the rest of our lives. If only we could make a knee of wool, To fall asleep on when we are hit by a hurricane or fear. If only we could restore our parents to actualize the family again, All we need from them is their presence, even fake. Dolls are more animated than the pictures hanging on the walls It is okay if they do not see us, Suffice it that we see them and hear them We bring them back to their empty places, We sit around them, We put our pillows near them, We bless the grandchildren in their arms, We meet again without monotony or busyness with our mobile phones, Our conversations revolve around their presence We hand them coffee cups in their hands as we used to, They share with us the sound of thunder and the sound of wind Creeping into the rooms from the wooden window And when sleep comes, We say "good night" And let them take a rest . LML