Final Entry

Loss is like falling out of space

Final Entry

 

I did not love you in autumn

With its gilded leaves and crisp’

Air heavy with the tang of wood smoke

To love in autumn is to die

 

I did not love you in the winter

When diamonds cover the ground

And everything turns grey for weeks on end

To love in winter is to stiffen with cold

 

I did not love you in Springtime when

The earth is filled with the smell of

New rain and new earth and growing things

To love in springtime is to put down roots

 

I did not love you in high summer when

The hours stretched out like golden galleons

A gift of the sun and the moon

To love in summer is an illusion

 

I loved in the moments between the

Turn of the earth from one season to

The next when a breath of frost becomes

The bite in the wind

 

I loved you when everything fell

Away and we were left with nothing

But a promise that we would see

A better equinox

 

I oved you in the solstice

In the passing of the scepter between

Warm and cold where for just a moment

You can burn like ice and freeze like fire

 

I loved you in the drips of starlight

That blessed us as we dangled above

The earth’s seasons in a place beyond

The great thief of death

 

But only angels swing on a star

And as we tumbled to the earth

I felt your hand slip from mine

When I landed hard and woke up at last

 

I found that you were gone.

-Zoe Richardson (2022)

Author's Note

I wrote this the day my husband died and read it at his funeral. It was like splashing down after a long, strange trip into outer space.

Reviews

[Gee]

Such a beautifully penned poem describing love and loss. It is the little things that all add up to make memories and that big ol' thing called true love, a love it seems fewer and fewer folk are unable to find, or more likely, cannot be arsed to invest the time and commitment needed to "find" this love.

[Zoe Richardson]

The man I married loved me only as long as I made no demands and had no needs of my own. Love cannot be one-sided, no matter how much the other person is willing to give. I count it a valuable lesson learned and no longer look for love. For the very reasons you listed! Thank you for stopping by and reviewing. It is always a pleasure to see your words!

[willweb]

I love the thought of the moments between seasons, that is so cool. Definitely a creative way to view it. The rest of the theme I enjoyed though the ending was a bit abrupt...though, sometimes it is exactly like that. Really cool Zoe.

[Zoe Richardson]

Thank you so much. I wrote this the morning my husband passed away. He died suddenly, although not entirely unexpectedly. A lifelong diabetic he developed kidney failure and died while awaiting a transplant. The ending is abrupt because his passing was abrupt. I had to get down on paper what the loss felt like and what it meant to love someone who is suddenly no longer there. Thank you for reading and for your wonderful praise. Both are sincerely appreciated!

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

This is a very haunting and love defining piece of poetry, Zoe. The emotions that it speaks with are tangible as well as relatable to every heart that has known such profound loss. In its raw tenderness it exemplifies our most powerful and human emotion. What are we and what do we become without it. But truly lost, as love demands in our tears. But the fractures heal in time, as the memories resonate and remind. That we were truly loved and loved that same in return. CLE

[Zoe Richardson]

I wasn't truly loved. I loved far more than he was capable of. But I truly learned, and I cannot regret the lessons. Through rejection, grief, and loss, I found a freedom I didn't know I could have. Thank you for your generous praise! It is always a pleasure when you stop by!