the light seems to slip away
the truth of the loss
grabs at her, shakes her,
I feel the pain behind each word,
each hesitation as she reaches
to find words to describe
what words can only hope to hold,
she works as hard as she can
to answer my questions,
to call up details of her father’s life,
the essence that seems to slip away
like quicksilver that can’t be held,
so much of who she is a gift from him,
a reflection of the light he lived,
I understand how tricky the footing
when you want to sympathize, to empathize,
with a world full of such pain,
and you fear to add to it
with your clumsiness,
love can support you both,
as love can also hurt
more than seems possible to bear.
by Henry H. Walker
October 19, ‘17
No comments:
Post a Comment