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poems

Two Hearts (for my Dad)

by Jo

After the news,
Still in shock...
After seeing him
Still in resus, so still...
After holding his hand
Still warm, still warm...
(How can you be gone?)

After telling him I love you
Again and again,
After letting him know
They are on their way,
We all love you, Dad,
We love you...
(Where are you now?)

After my world has shifted,
After his life has ended,
Too soon, too soon...
I stand outside A&E.
It's a beautiful morning,
Birds are singing.
(How can the sun be shining?)

Two weeks later
I kneel by his grave,
Earth still freshly
Heaped above him,
Funeral flowers
Not yet dead.
(So why are you?)

I remove faded blooms,
I wipe down his cross,
Brass plate,
His name, RIP.
I talk to my Dad
Down there below.
(Can you hear me?)

Cemetery so peaceful,
So green, so green...
You loved trees.
Light shines through
Leaves glow green,
Sunshine so warm.
(Are you with me?)

Others tending graves,
White butterflies
Fluttering amongst us.
As I kneel
One gently alights
Amongst his flowers.
(Are you here now?)

Tears fall...
My mind, my heart
Six feet below me.
I look up
At the beauty
Through the pain.
(How can life go on?)

The sun still shines,
The sky is still blue,
The wind still rustles
In the trees you loved.
I know you are still
With me.
(In my heart, you are here.)

Written 9th August 2010
For my Dad
19/08/57 - 24/07/10