Saturday, February 23, 2013

Lift-off

Dawn by Teodoro S Gruhl





Lift-Off


In that heroic moment the young mother watched

The stealing of her composure eaten piece by piece by the pounding of her heart as she watched
in silent doorway-discipline
her children, saying goodbye

Her children, straining the limits of their soft limbs, snuggling their length into each side of her mother lying still upon snowy linens
Her breath rattle-ricocheting off the walls
Into the lilies and lilacs
wafting from tall vase on the table

Her small children gazing upon her mother’s face, with liquid wide expectant eyes as though they would truly see their grandmother lift and fly upwards at any moment

Her small children, lying with soft flung limbs, relaxed in a patience worthy of prophets for this moment they had that dawn proclaimed

And as the end approached on slippered feet and gently walked into the present,
her children gasped and each clutched tightly a papyrus hand, in theirs,
cheeks against cheek,
as though they could see
Something.
Something.
In that heroic moment she stayed and watched
from the doorway, a would-be future phantom
flooded with the fall of tears sublime
as rattled rough breath gave way to silence

Sweet, soft, complete and utterly peace-filled
and her children rose and excited ran to hug her about her waist – 
“Did you see it?” they grinned  “It happened! Grandma took off-just like she said

“Did you see it?!” they chimed with wide sun sparkling eyes.
In the early morning of her newly minted orphanhood. 
And though she had seen nothing that final tableau, 

The young mother as all heroic mothers, for all time, in moments such as this– 
held her children close and through the blurred world of oceanic tears
Smiled.















22 comments:

  1. You've capture the story of a passing well, Pearl. I find it both poignant and joy-filled. (Can it be both at once?)

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    1. Thanks Magic - hoping so - always surprised to see where the wordle words take me :)

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  2. wow. beautifully described. the light, closeness, papyrus.

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  3. This is beautiful, Pearl. You really did capture something about those moments before death. I like the idea of the end walking into the present. Whew! A 'papyrus hand' is truly inspired! One can hope that Grandma took off to a better place!

    Thank you, Pearl, for participating in Poetry Pantry!

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  4. They know how to say 'goodbye'...

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  5. Wow, this is such an emotional piece and so wonderfully written. I love how the grandmother passed, may we all have the hands of our children near. Beautiful.

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  6. What a beautiful piece..i love the freedom the children our allowed to fly with..

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  7. Oooh what a lovely comment posted on FB


    Nurit Israeli A truly beautiful depiction of the ongoing narrative of endings and beginnings... Evoking powerful memories... I particularly love the smooth transition: "And as the end approached on slippered feet and gently walked into the present..." And the "Lift-off"... And the smile -- in spite of the tears... Such depth...
    2 hours ago ·

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  8. This is so beautiful and uplifting... what a wondrous gift the children received and the reader as well... this was like an unexpected kiss.

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  9. There's a big lump in my throat, Pearl. What a wonderful evocation of a passing you have wrought from that miscellany of words.

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  10. I wish there was the ability here in this little comment box to reach through cyberspace and give you all a big thank you humble-hug. Please accept my appreciation for stopping by and the lovely comments I've read this morning :)
    Thank you so very very much.

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  11. Really beautifully written Pearl, and very hard to read for me, (too many passings these last few years). We all smiled bravely too.

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  12. You've told a lovely story in your poem, the end of which I read through my own blurry eyes. Sweet use of the prompt.

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  13. Pearls
    This is beautiful and trans-formative :D

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  14. This is a great post and does show how important it is for children to be aware of the circle of life. It is important too that children understand there is a part of their parents and grandparents still within them.

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  15. This is very dear Pearl and not so far off, I'm thinking - at least some of the time - and I do believe children are often privy to things adults are not ... well told.

    http://thepoet-tree-house.blogspot.ca/2013/02/patience-for-angel.html

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  16. oh Pearl this is so sad and beautiful all at once. Perhaps I wasn't young enough when my grandmother died to experience her passing that way... it wasn't peaceful.. but she made it clear she was on her way.... kept calling out my grandfather's name saying she was coming. I was eleven.

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  17. What a fantastic write - and poignant vignette - I love it that the children saw their grandma taking off.......and that there was so much love there.

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  18. The line- newly minted orphanhood - really got to my heart. You've written a beautiful poem.

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  19. Mothers of all species know this...

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  20. Powerful verse, and a fitting companion to that wonderful image.

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