The Last Grandparent

By poetjude

Sat, 06 Jun 2009
  • 1735 reads
2 comments
 

I thought my faith superior to that funereal talk
of being together and the dead dog snapping at your heels.
I am not laughing at your simple faiths today. O God
replace the wispy tenor of angels
with my own kin song for one last day.
My grandmother poured lemonade from glass bottles
filled me with affection I couldn’t taste
until it was gone and left me gutted.

Where are the tools to give shape to nothingness
or cut pain from my larynx?
Shut off in this dark uncertain corner
discerning life without you.
I saw today coming like a slow-motion shattering
windscreen on the road
yet the sorrow was unexpected.

Certificate U
Poem
3 Viva Pathways
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by anipani on
Well written, poignant, this moved me. 'Where are the tools to give shape to nothingness or cut pain from my larynx?' I loved these lines, incredibly human, bare, true, this is why I write poems. And why I love reading them.

anipani

Submitted by Mangone on
It's a long time since my gran left. It's strange as I had two but I only loved one... I have no idea what happened to the other. Yes it's a long time since my gran left. She would light up our little world with love. When she left I thought I didn't care... in those days I thought I didn't care about anything. A few days passed and suddenly the loss hit and I went to my secret place and I cried. I was very young and I don't even know if I knew of love let alone wondered what it was - but I missed it! It wasn't for many, many years that I realised that my dad had chosen my mum because she had a soul similar to his mum. When I lost my mum I lost my gran again... it freed me from a long list of mistakes and gave me the strength to change... one last gift of love! Only just noticed 'funereal' Jude. Let me know if you change it and I'll delete this.