Friday 5 October 2012


It's been a while...

My Dad passed away a couple of weeks ago, which has given me lots to think about but little time to write down my musings. Death is something I've had to deal with quite a bit of in my life, and while I get better at coping with the concept the older I get, it's something that provides endless thought and wondering about what life is all about...

I will no doubt go into more detail at a later date, but for the moment I want to share a poem I wrote after it happened and managed to read out at his funeral yesterday (getting over my fear of public speaking is something else that needs a further examination, but another time!)

I haven't written poetry for quite a while, but I'm hoping to write more in the future as I'd forgotten how cathartic it is... a bit like Tweeting, it's a good way of getting one's feelings down in a succinct way without being able to ramble. Anyway...


FOR DAD

We do not die.
Our vibrant spirit simply soars
to spread light,
to touch the new
connect to the old, and
become stars in the velvet night.

We do not die,
how can we?
when we live on each day
in thought, and memory.
Living a thousand new lives,
the hero of many tales
stored in the mind
like books read again, and again
by those left behind.

We do not die.
The codes have been written
into the spirals of every cell
of each new generation
seen in the faces of your children
known so well.

We do not die.
No.
We do not go!
Our finished bodies
become the earth
from which new flowers grow.

You did not die.
You have not really left us now.
We know the secret,
we know how
to keep you here in the hearts and minds
of everyone, the young and old
In every piece of sage advice
In every funny story told.

For now our hearts may break
And we may cry
But we shall not mourn for long
For you did not die.

No comments: