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My father's death
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:10 pm
by John K.
post deleted
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:34 pm
by lizzytysh
Dear John ~
I'm leaving out right now for an hour, and I've PMd you with a question; however, I must say before I leave how moved I am by your poem.
Love,
Lizzay
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:54 pm
by Paula
John I don't know if this was meant to be a poem I didn't read it as a poem but whatever I read it as it was extremely poignant and touched a nerve.
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:19 pm
by John K.
post deleted
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:24 pm
by Byron
My father died 16 years ago
The operation was a success
The post-op care was exemplary
The 10 days of Intensive care, exhausting
The tubes, everywhere
The emotions, likewise
The bed, needed
The options, none
The outcome, bleak
The liver, failing
The kidneys, dying
The blood, pernicious
His arm, warm
The switch, off
The loss, indescribable
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:16 am
by lizzytysh
Dear Byron ~
You have a history of serious poetry that has always been very meaningful for me. I've been wanting you to return with some; and even though this one moves me to tears, as John's did; I'm touched that you have felt compelled to participate in this thread, by sharing this poem about your father's death. Its didactic, matter-of-fact nature makes your final line all the more powerful. Thank you.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:20 am
by BoHo
Byron wrote:My father died 16 years ago
The operation was a success
The post-op care was exemplary
The 10 days of Intensive care, exhausting
The tubes, everywhere
The emotions, likewise
The bed, needed
The options, none
The outcome, bleak
The liver, failing
The kidneys, dying
The blood, pernicious
His arm, warm
The switch, off
The loss, indescribable
Stunning.
BoHo
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 6:33 am
by John K.
post deleted
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:16 pm
by Byron
John, your words opened the Ward Door in my mind.
'Time heals,' but although the scars of pain fade, the emotions, which we bury and suppress with the skill of a careful gardener, retain their kernel of feeling.
Your words were the inspiration. Why? Because they came from the same place I'd been to.
When lizzie was here we chatted for some time about our lives' journeys and I described this 45 minutes of searing loss to her. You see, my dad took that long to leave me, after the machines were switched off.
There is no way I could have produced a 'matter-of-fact' summation until now. I can join the clinical and the loss together, at last.
John, thank you for 'allowing' me to release these words.
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:07 pm
by lizzytysh
Dear John ~
When you find and connect with that place deep inside you, where that eternally flowing self remains untouched by outer forces, your words come forth with near-unimaginable clarity and depth. It's been a long time since you've posted some of your poetry of this nature; and I remember our conversations about that time, so much so that your poem felt intensely, personally familiar.
I can join the clinical and the loss together, at last.
This level of catharsis is immeasurable in our lives.
Thank you to you, and to John as well, for writing his own, and for inspiring and allowing you to write yours.
Love for both of you,
Lizzie/Lizzay/Lizzy