I will never forget
Your week of pain blood and fear
Five endless hours cramping in the ER waiting lounge
The false reassurance of a doctor
The tiny beating heart in the ultrasound
I will never forget
Two days before your birthday
Cramps tears and more blood in a crowded emergency room bed
A tired doctor ushered us out afterwards
A tiny unfulfilled promise held in your hand
I will never forget
Driving on a dirty white line into a blank blur of land and sky
There was no sound
As we neared the cliffs
The immense and heaving grey sea
I will never forget
A sparkling tiny cold red ruby in your upturned palm
How you threw overarmed and stiff
Standing in the whipping wind
Unfazed by cold of minus twenty
I will never forget
Your long coat billowing about you as you stood at the guardrail
A part of you arcing down past mammoth icicles
Into the white waves breaking on the rocks
Sluggish tears frozen on your cheek
I will never forget
And I will never trust again
The month of birthdays and carnivals
/cry
ReplyDeleteI thought for a second about whether I should post this or not. But if you and I were sitting having a coffee, I would tell you the same thing, my friend. And writing only happy or sad or funny or political things would be just as much a lie as not writing any one of them.
ReplyDeleteThe imagery is just beautiful, it painted pictures in my head. Anything that can touch a person like this is a good thing even if it is sad. We all have these terrible sorrows they steal pieces of our inner child and turn us into cautious fearful watchers. That's me too. Far too aware of what can be lost but it also makes me very aware of what I have.
ReplyDeleteThis particular poem resonates with me for many reasons but mostly because it's a sorrow about loss and I understand that.