Silence

Prose poem

Kneeling on a fresh mound of earth,

I adorned the lonely tomb

with a white rose.

 

 

I stared at the letters engraved

and wondered why this man

with my last name

forgot to breathe.

 

 

He used to take my brother and me

to Sunday masses

where I loved to display my bored pout.

He would then sneak us out of the ceremony

and go to the city park just across the church.

 

 

He would wait for us outside school

and together we'd go home,

mounted on his bicycle that smelled strongly of rust.

 

 

He'd often leave the best portion of meat for me

and he never let my mother nor my brother

know about our little secret.

 

 

He was particularly fond of animals

and I remembered seeing him

cradling our dog in his arms,

his eyes laughing with a private humor.

 

 

--the kind of eyes that I expected to see

when I announced to him that I graduated with honors.

 

 

He only nodded.

 

 

 

 

 

I had no memory of the texture of his hand,

the comfort of his arms, the smell of a father...

 

 

I had no knowledge of his favorite color,

his favorite food, his favorite song...

 

 

I should have asked.

I should have cared.

I shouldn't have hated him.

 

 

 

 

 

But he's gone now,

bringing with him the stories I'll never know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sun was setting.

I had to leave.

 

 

I gave the tomb a parting look

and murmured the words I've so long withheld,

 

 

 

 

 

"I love you, papa..."

 

 

 

 

 

And he responded

 

 

 

with that familiar silence.

 

 

Reviews

[Jeffery Hayes]

Ok so this one hit home for me. I lost my dad when I was 14. I never got to say goodbye or that I love him. I knew few things about my dad. And me and him argued a lot. I wish there was a way to go back and change everything. One chance to making things better. This poem made my eyes fill with tears

[Blue]

Sorry to hear about that, Jeffery. Thank you for letting me know that this poem touched your heart.

[Jeffery Hayes]

Thank you. Its reminds me that even though I feel alone. That I am not.

[Devesh]

I was tearing up as I read this.

"I stared at the letters engraved
and wondered why this man
with my last name
forgot to breathe."

This stanza is probably going to remain stuck in my mind for a long time. It's haunting. Beautiful.
I'm very sorry for your less, one can almost feel the yearning in your heart when you wrote this. Thanks for sharing such a personal piece, these are pretty hard to show to others. :)

[Blue]

Hi, Devesh, thank you for randomnly reviewing my writings. I'm not so sure of this one, the quality, I mean. That's why I am hesitant to send RRs for this. Well, I'm pleased that this touched you. It's not a real loss, just an imagination of what what would probably be my sentiments if my father died. 90% of the words here is true, though.

[Devesh]

No worries, I enjoy reading your poems, they're wonderful! You should send out RRs for this, even if you're unsure. That's what this website is about, about helping us grow as writers. Never be afraid to share even if you're unsure whether it's your best work, suggestions always come in handy. I've got to give props to your imagination, "forgot to breathe" was very touching. I loved the first few lines because they reminded me of something very similar that occured in Harry Potter( I love those books). Also, the imagery is very vivid for something you just dished out without having experienced it. That most od it would be true is apparent. Thanks for sharing! :)

[Blue]

I love HP, too! And thank you a lot, Devesh. You brightened me up!

[Devesh]

hey there, fellow Potterhead! No worries, that's what we're all here for :D

[cimmy wuv xxxooo]

Beautiful, deep emotional, and brilliant hun.
I could really feel the love and emotion strongly in this one.
Seems like a beautiful man with a lot of love in his heart.
Surly he will be missed :)
Another great write well done :)

[Blue]

Thank you, Cimmy dear.

[cimmy wuv xxxooo]

your welcome hun :)

[Shaquana Adams]

Sad and powerful. A father's silence can definitely leave an impact. Great work :)

[Blue]

Thank you, Sha.