It is not you I mourn but the walk to your house
through the wheat on Dodds lane
and the haze on Pyrford roads in high summer.
Now, bereft of my place in those times
as memories lose shape; all hope of renaissance forsaken.
I heard that for you resurrection was fact.
These days are a house
we have leased for a while
old with other people’s dust
and quaint curtains shadow us
from the sunlight. The landlord
is unseen and previous tenants left
minute traces of their living.
Small wonder the clock chimes
like a sob in the throat before we realise
mourners are astir in the street.
It is time to walk on through the gates, out on your road,
the key is turned forever.
(For my grandfather Victor Charles Henry Eydmann 16th June 1919 – 22nd May 2009)
Comments
sunshine | June 5, 2009 - 14:17
a beautiful and moving poem and a deserved cherry/poem of the week. Congrats. Margot
pinda | June 5, 2009 - 16:03
I agree with Sunshine,good descriptive piece and a well deserved cherry.Keep up the good work
Yutka | June 5, 2009 - 17:33
a wonderful legacy to your grandfather: touching and beautiful in its somber description. You are one of my favorite poets on this site. Thanks for sharing.
threeleafshamrock | June 6, 2009 - 10:55
Fantastic! Have read several times and will return again. Would that we all were worthy to qualify for such a tribute. Rendered almost speechless.
Chris
Nathan Bednarek | June 8, 2009 - 21:58
Just beautiful. I can't really come up with a suitable comment to compliment this poem. It really is amazing.
Small typo- I think it should be 'thRough the gates,' in the last line.
A big well done on this one! ;-D
Nathan.
poetjude | June 9, 2009 - 12:20
Thank you all for your kind comments (and well done Nathan for spotting the typo... now fixed). I have just been looking though granddad's old photo albums. He had a long and happy life.
jude
Lecturedoc | June 10, 2009 - 20:46
A really beautiful poem with images that linger in the mind as one reaches the end (in both senses of the phrase) and draw one back in to read it again.