She is waiting
She paces the floor
til past mail time
Nothing in the box
again
What made her think
this would be different?
This time he would write
This time he would share
This time he would want her
to know
Know he is thinking of her
Missing her
He seemed so adamant
But no
Here she goes,
dropping, dropping
Tailspinning
into grief
Again
Ellecee
Inspiration from
22. Write about what you
*don’t* know (or can’t see)
Write a poem about something
from the lens of its absence.
Her son-in-law is
singing “Over The Rainbow”
He sings it the old fashioned
way
She has always loved his voice
singing the old songs
So soft and mellow
It’s not his usual style but once
in awhile, like today,
it is
Sometimes tears come to her eyes
Like now
Freedom to grieve for herself,
during this,
her celebration of life
She wanted it in this club-like atmosphere
Small tables with lit candles and
incense burning
Low light
Spritzers and nibbles,
Soon spoken words by her niece,
her own, chosen for now,
Her granddaughter
will lead a singalong to
“Side by Side”
She thinks some of those
present know it
There are song sheets on
the tables if some don’t
There will be smiles,
perhaps clapping
Eulogies
A send off prayer from
her Pastor daughter
Another song by him,
“Bridge Over Troubled Waters”,
Mingling after.
The tears are starting,
in anticipation,
Will she make it to the end?
Do they even know she’s here?
No matter
Love is
Ellecee
Inspiration from
10. It’s your funeral
Imagine the day or season of
your death and write a poem
about how your loved ones carry
on, how you imagine your demise
or what you’ll miss when you’re gone.
The sum of all grief
arrives at the end
of a life
The sum of all
deaths
Siblings,husbands, friends
children
The sum of all
faculties lost
Hearing, eyesight, balance,
cognitive thinking
The sum of all hope
for recognition, inclusiveness,
new love, empathy
The sum of all pain
physical, emotional, visual
The sum of all desires
a lifetime of them
met and unmet
These and more
always present in
her mind
The sums of a lifetime
the sum of all grief
Ellecee
