- time stopped -
in a sea of grief,
for we could not imagine
how the lot of us
would make a go of it
without that calm,
beautiful man
captaining our little ship:
the passage of time
marked, one by one,
at the moment of resolve
to carry on
as best we could .
. .
as he would have wished.
note: published in Hedgerow Journal.
note: published in Hedgerow Journal.
photo: Time Stopped (Grandfather Clock, entrance to the Roedde House Museum) - W. Bourke
© 2014
Wendy Bourke
This says it all, poignantly, tenderly.
ReplyDeleteAh-h-h - Lovely, Janet.
ReplyDeleteyour lines remind me of my father whom i lost last year....and we do carry on as best we could....the first stanza perfectly describes that Moment...beautiful lines
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for your loss, Sumana. Whether it is a Mandela, a father, a husband – when a beloved human being passes, I think there is a sense of time standing still for those who are left behind, who must go on without that ROCK and that LIGHT in their lives.
Deletesmiles...i think you capture a loss we all know...
ReplyDeletewondering how we go on...but we do in memory of them....
Beautiful sentiment, Brian - "in memory of them".
ReplyDeleteVery moving, Wendy! Every stanza stands out in its own way but I think the first and the last ones are my favorites. You have expressed the kind of timeless grief we experience for those who lead us, whether they are leaders or family, in a very subtle way.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think when someone passes who we consider to be a leader (family or not) the grief does take on a timeless aspect. Very thoughtfully expressed, Gabriella.
DeleteI can most certainly relate to this...
ReplyDeleteYes, I do think if we think about those who have gone before, they would want us to go on and live. That living would be a most fitting tribute to their life, to their example. Not always easy, but.... And sometimes it does take TIME.
ReplyDelete(And you have the link right. Smiles.)
Thank you for commenting, Laurie and Mary. Thankfully, we have our loving memories.
ReplyDeleteIt's like time does get separated into the "before" and the "after" of that moment when someone we love has been lost. I could feel the grief and the struggle of how "to carry on" in this.
ReplyDeleteI think that is true of many traumatic events in life. When one looks back, one tends to look at time pre and post.
Delete"without that calm,
ReplyDeletebeautiful man
captaining our little ship:"
luv that verse especially
much love...
Thanks Gillena - I had someone in mind when I wrote that.
DeleteLife is full of struggle and grief. We must keep going on because that is all we can do.
ReplyDeleteSo true.
ReplyDeleteoh it is sad to lose your captain
ReplyDeletemoving on in grief ... one foot in front of the other ... like good soldiers, as my Dad would say ... but oh, we do wonder how we'll all hold the ship together ...
ReplyDeleteI've found the strangest feeling after losing that "captain" is the realization that someone is seeing YOU as the "captain"... You are now the holder of the memories, images, history, stories.
ReplyDeleteA poignant reflection on time that stops forever for one of our loved ones. Time certainly keeps marching on for us and we have to deal with that loss... BEautiful write.
ReplyDelete