Sunday 3.00pm
A mother lays upon the bed,
Her daughter cradles her sweet head,
A son leans across to clasp her hand,
The other held by her husband,
A yard away, knelt on the floor,
A daughter-in-law cries some more,
The mothers mother is in the hall,
Can't find the strength to face it all,
To stare into the face of death,
To see her daughters final breath.
Me, I stand behind my wife,
Who's still knelt praying, for my mums life,
For me, there's no feeling, nothing at all,
I'm somehow detached from it all,
Her breathing's slower now, so slow,
The rattle in her throat seems to go,
Her face is wet from her daughters tears,
End of a life after forty five years,
Her body is still, a lifeless shell,
She goes to heaven, we stay in hell.
If on a journey through my mind,
In every room this picture find,
In every corner of my head,
This painting of my mother, dead,
In oils, on canvas and a big oak frame,
It wasn't my purchase, Cancer's to blame.
- David Gibbs's blog
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Sunday 3:00pm
Simply written, yet very descriptive and truly touching.
Nicely done..
My mother-in-law died in
My mother-in-law died in 2005 from cancer. The scene was much like you described in this poem. family all around, crying, sad. My husband described that he had no feeling and felt detached from it all. She was only 51 years old. I think I will let my husband read this poem. very well written. Thank you.
Sunday 3.00pm
Sorry this reply has been a long time coming, I somehow managed to miss your comment!!
My mum was 45 when she died, the scene described in the poem is how it was that day. I don't know why some people, such as myself and your husband, feel detached from the situation. For me, when the last breath was taken, and everybody was sobbing and crying, I just had to stand up straight! Bizarre!! I just kept saying to myself,"Stand up, stand up"
Thanks for commenting on this piece, it's always good to hear when someone can relate to what's been written
Dave
Thankyou!
For sharing this Dave. I lost my mother at the age of 39 from cancer. We all greived differently. My sister never said a word or cried at all. I was, inconsolable.
Very touching write.
Debs
It's True
It's true what you say about greiving, everybody seems to have their own way of dealing with life blows like this. I reacted the same way as your sister, no tears, no upset on the outside, just got on with sorting out funeral etc, read Suited Man, a poem I wrote at the time.
I guess at the end of the day, you don't really get over such a loss, you just get used to it, and your life moves forward.
Thanks for reading
Dave
Wonderful Poem
I also lost my mom to cancer, just over 2 years ago. I was 14 at the time. I must say, this poem definitely hit home. I could relate exactly to many of the lines. "She goes to heaven, we stay in hell." was the same though I had just after my mom passed. The situation was much different, but I think the feeling is universal when you lose someone you're so close to. I also related to the "no feeling" and "detached" lines. I remember I had that feeling for a whole week following. All I can gather from that feeling is that we get it when we know that nobody in the world understands our pain during that time. I think that's why we feel nothing. It's almost as if we're not real for a moment, because nobody can feel how we do. Such an empty and lonely feeling!
Thank you so much for the great read. It really got me thinking.
Anne
Thanks Anne
For taking the time to read and comment.
It's always struck me that people react to these events so differently. This piece is just an account of my experience. I hope that it can somehow make you feel that you're not alone, you are certainly very young to have your mother taken from you.
Maybe the "no feeling" and "detached" lines are really our minds self defence system? Who knows? Not me thats for sure!
I'm sorry to hear of your sad loss Anne. Its true what they say time is a great healer, as time goes by you do learn how to move forward but there will always be days when you will wish you could share your news with them. Or an event in your life that they should have been there to share.
Many thanks again,
Dave
Very sad poem, Dave...
It must be some kind of defense mechanism if you had her in every chamber of your being yet expressed no grief.
I'm very sorry, Dave.
joyce
Thank You Joyce
For your kind words and for taking the time to read this piece.
I guess it's a life lesson that we all have to learn sometime, I feel sorry more for the likes of Anne (see comment above) who have lost a close one at such a young age. That seems tragic to me.
Many thanks for reading and commenting, your thoughts are always valued Joyce,
Dave