Wish you were here

Here in the dark, I write to you.
It is 4:41 in the morning
on the 11th day
of the Eighth month
in the year 2022.
You would have been 98 tomorrow.
You have been gone from me 43 years.
I miss you now as I missed you then.
Only my execution of grief
is now honed and quietly observed.
Not wishing to share it with strangers.
I am now older than you were on the day of your passing,
and wish to tell you so many things.
I wish I had known you as an adult.
However, with that said
it was my tender view of you that shaped me,
pushed me,
and
compelled me
to care for my family.
Your iron words fueled me
and your tender ways guided me
long after you were gone from me.
Now, those echoes comfort me.
I miss you
And wish you
were
here.

Reviews

[Davey Payne]

This resonates with , I lost my father on 1st August 2010 and I understand the lines 'honed and quietly observed' perfectly. A very difficult subject matter to write on but you do this so well. A lovely piece of work

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank you Davey
I look forward to returning the visit.

[Betty Hermelee]

It seems as though you are writing to a dear parent with such empathy, sentiment and fond memories... even though you were a mere child when the parent passed away. Now you're thinking of his/her age and still missing, but memories are a bit more spaced and blurred...though still comforting....and wishing that parent is here with you now.... as many of who have lost our parents at an early age. Lovely write....
Best,B

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank you Betty
Each child will handle this pain differently, but I do think the key to moving forward is for them to express their emotions.

[Betty Hermelee]

I agree! and you're very welcome!
Best, B

[Robert Haigh]

Losing a parent before their natural time is a hard blow to take, just as losing a child is. We can keep their memory alive, but the pain never really dies. Obviously a deeply personal poem, but one that most of us should be able to understand, and sympathise or empathise with. Highly poignant, and written with tenderness and respect!

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank you and yes this is a universal pain for loss.

[W. Barrett Munn]

Cherrie, this is the best thing of yours I have read. A real journey and intense. I like your choice of line break and emphasis.
I recently read a poem written by an inmate. In his bio he said he had been told to write what he was afraid to say out loud. I think you may have done that here.
Excellent!
W.

[Cherrie Palmer]

Originally I had it written in paragraph format but decided to set it up like this instead. I liked the impact it added to the delivery.
Thank you so much for reading this one. I really appreciate it.

[Temperance]

This is such a beautiful ode to a dear loved one. The admiration you have for this person comes through your words of love. Very nicely done, Ms. Cherrie! Temp

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank you
Years back for Christmas I wrote each of my family a letter as a gift and thought I should write one for my dad.

[Temperance]

What a great idea!!

[TamsinDaya]

I cried when reading this. I'm so, so sorry for your loss.

We never truly recover from loss and your poem captures that perfectly. It shows how the memory of the ones we love (and sometimes loosing them) can shape us into who we are today. I particularly liked two phrases you've used: "iron words" and "tender ways", which shows the two sides of the person.

I also like how the structure dissolves towards the end of the poem as it seems to represent how grief breaks down everything it its path and leaves things a mess.

[Cherrie Palmer]

I liked that phrase also. To so many my daddy was just iron. He was a no no sense WWII Marine. . As a child I drew from his strength.I still draw from it.

[TamsinDaya]

I can see why you'd draw strength from that, yet be able to see his tenderness as well.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

This is so soul rendering is that a word ?it’s so tender that’s what I mean
I presume it could be your dad or grandfather
My son was born on 11 August
He’s 35
Beautiful memorial write ✍️

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank you Julie
This was for my dad.

[Julie McCarthy (juliespenhere)]

Yes I thought so sorry for your loss x

[Aura]

We never know when our time spent with someone will come to an end. While I may not know who it is you write about in your poem, I can see that they were an important figure in your life when they were alive, and they still are as important today. Their memory lives on, shaping you into the person you are today. A lovely write dear Cherrie, about the remembrance of an individual who had a profound impact on you, wishing they were here today.

[Cherrie Palmer]

Good morning and thank you Aura

[Adam Latham]

I was reading this and my thoughts instantly turned to my father who sadly passed away from cancer last year at the age of 72. We weren't that close and there had been many years where we hadn't spoken to each another. Reading this makes me wish he was still here so we could rectify those mistakes. What is it they say, time is the fire in which we burn. Over the course of our lives we waste so much of it.
A great poem by the way. Well done. :)

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank you Adam.
Maybe you should offer your own, 'wish you were here'. :)