In The Mourning

It can't wait until morning.

"Don't fuss,
don't stress!
I'll be back in the morning.
Goodnight,
God bless,
I'll be back in the morning.
Be brave,
be strong,
I'll see you in the morning.
You're where
you belong
and I'm here in the morning."

Ignore the sick pallor.
Ignore the mad shaking.
Ignore the grim sight
of their worn will breaking.
There is nothing baleful,
there's nothing frightening.
They're exaggerating
when they stated 'dying'.
Besides! I'm back in the morning.

So I smile as I leave
the helpless behind.
I smile to the Reapers,
faces drawn and lined.
No reason to worry,
we have plenty of time!
And God never punished
where there wasn't a crime.
So I'll come back in the morning.

There's no need for the guilt
clawing, crippling my spine.
Left in sterile, cold white
I am sure they'll be fine!
The horror resulting
from the hospital call
is just unwarranted;
it's a check up, that's all!
So it can wait 'till the morning.

There's nothing left the next morning.
Or the next.
Or the next.
'Til there's a grave, dug in the morning.

"Don't cry,
don't fret,
I'll be here every morning.
I'll not
forget
To visit in the morning.
Stay strong,
stay kind,
I will see you each morning.
I think
you'll find
that I miss you in mourning."

Author's Note

Please let me know if the message made an impact on you, and whether I could do anything to greaten that impact :)

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

lots of great lines, and the theme i got from it really struck me. Putting off till tomorrow what we could or should do today can be a disaster. Not going to the doctor when we should...putting it off can put us in a coffin...and all those things that we might want to do for other people or with them?
Time passes...and we are filled with nothing but regret.
this is quite good.
j.

[Blysful]

I’m glad you felt so, though sad we all understand that feeling. thank you for reviewing!

[Dianne S Penfold]

Yes it indeed left an impact. The way it started off somewhat cheerful and ended up with the individual dying. It reminds me that you never know how life will turn out.

[Blysful]

Too true. Thank you for your kind words :)

[AliciaB]

I love this poem. First of all, the play on "mourning" is wonderful, and I like how the poem starts and ends with spoken words, while the middle is more involved in the speaker's thoughts. I absolutely love the rhyme scheme - it gives the poem a beautiful rhythm and makes the visceral imagery that much more powerful. Some of my favorite lines: "Ignore the sick pallor. / Ignore the made shaking. / Ignore the grim sight / of their worn will breaking."... "No reason to worry, / we have plenty of time! / And God never punished / where there wasn't a crime." The rhyme and cadence are especially beautiful in these examples. I also like the use of "Reapers" - I interpreted them as hospital staff, and the connection between them and death is rather disturbing. But they are also exhausted and melancholy, not frightening and evil in the way the Grim Reaper is usually portrayed. I found this very interesting. The way in which you describe guilt is also powerful and relatable - the intense word choice does an excellent job of capturing that feeling of being in pain and being trapped. Overall, very nicely written. Excellent work!

[Blysful]

Thank you for how much thought you put into this! For me, you were spot on - the reapers are hospital staff :D but it's really up for interpretation