• Mourning

    When someone dies there’s a funeral
    Crying and weeping and eulogizing
    Afterwards the person fades away
    The once warm and dynamic space
    In the pattern of our lives slowly disappears

    At first the void is tangible
    Found in the silences among
    Conversation, meals, work
    Whole topics seem barren
    Or full of stormy weather
    Serving as a gate to tears and heartache
    At dinner, we served meatballs,
    His favorite and the food turns to ashes
    Work is full of routines and photos on the desk
    Times in the day where we would
    Call or email or just think
    Are empty.

    At first every room has a memory
    That blossoms in our minds
    The flood of images reminds us
    Of her delighted smile
    The way he held his tea just so
    And always used the cup with penguins
    Walking by the living room chair
    We are assaulted by their life
    We remember how she would sit
    Doing crosswords, accepting gracefully
    A bundle of bouncing grandchild
    The empty chair is a memorial

    But, it cannot last
    Slowly life moves on
    Children play new sports
    Start new school years and meet new friends
    Bereft spouses get lost in their children
    Or dedicate themselves to some new project
    The tears quietly disappear
    A chair becomes merely a chair
    Good for sitting, reading, sleeping
    The web of our lives readjusts
    The void is noted only in the odd moments
    On anniversaries and at weddings
    Or when the brain wanders
    Most days, we see the living
    Creating new patterns for ourselves
    And quietly burying the old ones.