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Monday, April 22, 2013

The Longest Wait

Time brings
everything
at the same
steady pace,
as if life
were on a conveyer belt,

and I could see

10 am Saturday,
Pop’s memorial service
off in the distance,
sitting there,
just a day past his
viewing,
which I also
didn’t want.

It was
the longest wait
between his death
on Monday
until Saturday,
mostly because
I didn’t know
how it was
going to feel.

Eventually
Thursday,
Friday, then
Saturday came,

and before I knew it
the tributes were made,
the body was buried
and everyone was back
at my Mom’s house.

It too, had passed
right on by,
just like so
much of life
if you’re not
watching closely.

Now,
that his death is
years down
the conveyer belt,

I still miss him
and have the occasional,
merciful dream of him,

and understand
that I am now
only fourteen years into
the longest wait.

5 comments:

  1. mmm i feel you man...still have my parents, but my wife lost her mom a few years ago...was one of the hardest days of my life...and still her presence echoes forward...

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, yes my kids just lost their dad, so death's been on my mind a lot.

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  2. This really moved me.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, MZ. I sometimes think "this is just the first 14 years of the rest of your life without him."

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  3. A touching memorial to a loved one that resonates in this time where senseless death is part of the national discourse and people come to terms with their own losses.

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