Thursday, January 19, 2012

Chariots around the corner



Chariots around the corner


Swing low
Swing high
Sweet Chariots
White horses
Taking you home
Taught me the song
as a tiny curled haired
little girl essed into
your side on the couch
where we listened
to music so loud
the the apartment
walls shifted
your paintings
and my heart trembled

Swing Low
Swing High
I sung - woman
now, kneeling
on your bed fingers
intertwined with yours
No chariots
cornered the
bedsheets on
that hot august day
You on high
white pillows
gentle sighs
of sweet oxygen
our metronome
You, my still strong
raven haired father.
I never felt the bones
that sent the
others skittering
from the room
only muscle
and brawn and
beauty still yesterday
as all fell softly silent
hours melting you in morphine
mist as you lifted your arms
and to the remembered
violin concerto of
my tiniest girlhood
you began to conduct yourself
with eyes closed, a satiated smile glowing
you raised up, turned up your head in ecstasy
and on a long apricot scented sigh - stepped
Elsewhere
I felt your chest and three final crisp crescendoed thumps

Concerto concluded.

Goodbye,
Daddy
Goodbye.

23 comments:

  1. Incredible poem, Pearl; very moving, and beautifully realised.

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  2. Ahhhhh thank you Kim...your "lovely" touches is deeply appreciated and truly lovely :) This year plan on being a more consistent presence at Poets United - terrific site!

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  3. Absolutely full of goodbye. Wonder beginning leading on telling us of your childhood and your precious Daddy!

    This was excellent, stunning tribute. Well done!

    Thank you.

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  4. Aww thank you...so very much appreciated. Off to inhale some wild magnolias

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  5. This is INCREDIBLY moving. So beautifully written and remembered so tenderly. I so love your writing and am glad you'll be posting more at Poets United. I so look forward to it!

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  6. This is incredible beautiful and filled with tenderness~ I loved how touching you made this journey seem~

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  7. Very touching, loved the interplay of the musical/heart beat, fantastic ending.

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  8. Thank you - a ' good ' never mind "fantastic ending" is difficult to come by and far easier to write. I am deeply appreciative of your comment and grateful to share the time with you.

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  9. Dear Sherry Blue.. I am honored by your commenting and encouraged and inspired by the tumble of duch wonderful adjectives - how wonderful to read and how embraced I feel that you 'love' and 'look forward' to my writing. Thank you.

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  10. So difficult saying 'goodbye' to those we love. This was so soft, gentle, and precious. I'm glad your father was hearing the music when he left. It is a source of comfort to know that he died peacefully.
    I hate goodbyes, especially, in love.
    Lovely, lovely writing.

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  11. I lost my father too, just three years ago. I loved your word choices and the beauty you brought to those last breaths.

    Thank you.

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    1. Thank you Kat... Hope the loving memories of your father ... are now more present than the pain of loss...

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  12. Ooooh .... your comment brought soft tears to my eyes. Thank you so very much for your "lovelies" I very much enjoy your writing and was deeply moved by your understanding of the music.

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  13. Pearl. this was simply beautiful. I loved the music paired with the sentiment. I think you composed a great tribute.

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  14. Thank you - some things just call music to them. I am humbled by your more than kind words.

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  15. This is quite a moving, beautiful poem. I admit to tears thinking of my own father.

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  16. Aw Sara - thank you .... there really is nothing quite like that "first love" when it is good :)

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  17. So moving! I lost both my parents in the last three years and I had trouble holding back my tears.

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  18. Oh Madeline.... It is heart-hurting for you and wonderful for their legacy that the physical absence of your parents still brings tears. The writer within me always wants to move, and I thank you .... but the grieving child apologizes one to another for calling pain. Peace, love and enjoy the day....
    At least in this, the season of "clowns" there is a wealth of "entertainment"

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  19. Beautifully executed, emotive, powerful. You've done your father proud with those words. I too lost my father a few yrs back, as well as my mother not 10 days later. Sometimes it's good to go back and re-visit that pain, and remind oneself of the important things in life. I believe the greatest act of Love is being there at the bitter end, holding their hands, waiting for someone on the other side to come and take over, walking them the rest of the way home. No one should ever die alone.

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    1. Awww thank you Juanita .. it is obvious that in this we are 'kindred' spirits... You have done your parents proud with your comment! I will visit your blog and hope you'll consider joining me here.

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    2. Juanita ... I just tried to find you and cannot... Do you have a blog or a website?

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