Silhouette

For as long as I've been alive, every year, there's a day when my family has been a little more tense than usual, and a tiny bit upset behind the scenes. I once had an uncle, but due to an unfortunate tragedy, he's an uncle I've never known. Though unseen, I can sense the empty silhouette his absence leaves behind. He seems like a pretty cool guy from the pictures I've seen, the stories I've heard. I think, were he here, he'd be that cool uncle that everyone talks about. The one with the cool car and the most awesome presents on birthdays The one who you could come to in tricky situations when you'd rather your parents not know. The one who's tough, and just generally cool.

He may not be here anymore, physically at least, but the empty silhouette lingers still, and it always will. He might be gone, but he'll never truly be gone. No one ever is, so long as those they left behind still think of them. Even when a person is gone, their memory can live forever. When I was younger, I used to like to think that when someone passed on, they weren't going anywhere, but instead gaining the power of invisibility, and I believe that's true for him. If I pay close enough attention, it sometimes feels like he's here, somewhere, with us still.

Sometimes things like ghosts vanish over time. The longer the period the more the ghost disappears, but I prefer thinking of his shadow still here somewhere, and as long as I'm around, I'm determined not to let that shadow fade, not to let the silhouette go away. He'll still be here in some form, always and forever.