1679...LESS ONE I arrive late and alone This evening in May And the band strikes up Wondering should I go or stay? Pomp and Circumstance Resounds through the room But the uplifting notes Displace none of my gloom. I slip into a seat Far removed from the crowd As the grads file in Deservedly proud I pause for a moment My head is bowed But to honor these students Was something I’d vowed. They had comforted me In my hours of need Since the death of my daughter Taylor At the age of nine, Halfway through Their third grade year They had lost a friend Whom they held dear. They take their seat 1,679...less one I regain control Though my heart weighs a ton. Speeches begin I long to hear them mention her name Because they’re less one It's not the same. The yearbook committee is presented A gift from her friends A page in her honor Proclaiming affections For their friend who is gone That they, too, are sad They’re 1,679...less one. My vision’s an ocean Of blurred orange and blue, As I try to focus Gazing across the room, As they leave the stage Diplomas in hand Their parents rejoicing Beginning to stand. I cannot move ‘Til it’s over and done Mortarboards flying 1,679...less one. I quickly slip out The way that I came Not wanting to dampen Their dazzling flames. My tears run unchecked I can’t stop them now I’ve gotten through it Though I’ll never know how. My one consolation This moment in time – Taylor, too, has graduated But to heights sublime.