Gaunt Limbs

This poem is dedicated to my dear English teacher who suffered and died from liver cancer a year ago. May his soul rest in peace.

Blood trickles down in every vein
As if some rivulets, they stream in rain.
I have swallowed too many deaths,
I have held hands of those,
Who breathed their last breaths...
Some dreams like kaleidoscope
Their lives have been
But then again they've fluttered and scurried
Timid with fear of the cold hands
Until they reach their edge, precipice, and fall
Yet their eyes sparkle with dreams;
Dreams of life, dreams that ebb away along with their lives
But I feed them with mine,
Here,
Of miracles, of sheer make-believe...


Gaunt limbs, fleshless and hollow,
I wait till opens the attic window,
Wait till the cold hand grasps me tight.
Shimmering veil beyond death and life
Just this journey of throes
And then,

Friends will shed tears on my hair, on my face
Upon where I leave no pain's trace.
While I slumber deep and benign
I'll be sitting by myself then in someone else's life
Weeping and dreaming of miracles: “Had life not ended...
Had I lived more
More than I did,” ah, what a miracle it would have been...

Author's Note

I have seen my teacher slowly dying from cancer. I couldn't do anything. I know how much pain a death can cause and how hideously cancer sucks out the life from a body. I can never repay him I reckon. Without his tender guidance I would never have been what I am now...

Reviews

[A.E. Surdam]

Watching someone fade away from cancer is a horrible thing to see. My mother had cancer and is still recovering from it, and it was painful to watch her lose her food all the time. She lost so much wait and is still going through chemo treatments. This poem is very heartfelt and wonderfully expressesd. A nice read. :)

[Tate Morgan]

Oh I love this I oo had such a friend and wrote of him as well as he is dying from Alzheimer

[.......]

I lost my step father to cancer and my grandma. I miss them so. This is such a sad write.

[Scarlet]

"But then again they've fluttered and scurried
Timid with fear of the cold hands
Until they reach their edge, precipice, and fall
Yet their eyes sparkle with dreams;
Dreams of life, dreams that ebb away along with their lives
But I feed them with mine,
Here," this is so beautiful, it really is. This has such a meaning to me. Such a gem. You have written so much and are doing so well, keep up the good work!

[Laughing-Bear]

My Dear Writing Friend,
My thoughts ran free as I gazed upon this beautiful word painting which with clarity displayed the love you have for you departed mentor. It came to me that he is not gone. Like my elders, elders, elders they still live on in their teachings handed down through the sands of time. These elders are now alive in me and in those I mentor as I teach them the lessons of Deep Time. You English Teacher is very much alive in you and those whom you touch with your life.
This is my personal favorite of your poems I have read to date.

Blessings, Laughing-Bear

[Karina Anderson]

It was chilling and reflective. A truly great piece, I'm sure that English teacher of yours would have have been proud. Kudos.

[George Wilder Jr.]

good stuff.

[Priyanka Natesh]

:( It's not fair ,is it..to just die with so many peaks left untouched...I totally sympathize with you..a wonderful poem Sujash.

[Sukriti Suki]

Cancer is very hard to deal with and sadly most of us know someone who is dealing or dealt with it..A good tribute but very sad.