Stephanie Swart: For Mom

I ask the Universe:Do you hear me cry? Sobbing uncontrollably, tears like a river flowing down my face, dripping, falling to the ground.Do you hear me whisper? Mama...mama...why?My mom, Marilee Swirczek, died by suicide on July 17, 2016, after battling depression for a short seven months. Short is relative I suppose, to her it was 213 agonizing days. 307,000 grueling minutes. Minutes that were spent reviewing and reliving her life, most often the worst parts of it. Minutes spent in denial of the