You're Gone

You're gone.  A whisper in the air,
That turned my head, and made me stare
For one moment into
Space and doubt myself.

I still recall the faintest smell;
Or, the way you sat, so calm when I spied
You, like a bird on a lawn, unaware
Of any predator.

 

And I know you stood with me at church
Each sunday, and I was never bored
By the echoing air and the diminished
Voices, and all that distance between
You and me and everyone. 

And walking back, I recall the soft
Click of your step,just below the chill air,
And overwhelmed by gray traffic noise,
And autumn's crisp colors.

 

And when the door closed behind us,
And our coats were hung away,
And the warmth of the late morning
In our house, and coffe smells, and
Pots clanking, and voices from TV,
All built a Honden just for you and me.

 

Today, the echo of the clock time clicking,
And I only think of what you look like daringly,
Like a rope-walker balancing, afraid less
Of falling, but of not continuing.

Reviews

[RomaJ]

The first two words is the deepest cut. "You're gone" Those two words haunted me for nearly 15 years. I barely survived the first month after a loss of a loved one, that was dearest to me. It nearly broke me. It doesn't hurt as much after all these years, but it's still raw. Those words "you're gone" brings tears to my eyes. I don't want to cry... your poem made me tear up. It's beautiful and simple..yet so profound..because anyone who lost a loved one can understand and relate to this. So beautiful. The coffee smells makes me think of her again and her smiling face and her laughter. Very moving and heartfelt piece.
Roma

[Panda]

Memories are sad beautiful things