The Garden Of Tears

He practiced disdain for mankind. Never giving himself to another. Closed away his heart and mind.

 

Near the road a cemetery bloomed

in the ancient noon day light

An old man stood to his task

of tending graves each night

 

He had spent his youth working

too afraid to spend emotion

Took all he could from everyone

but gave no love to the devotion

 

Romance was not his forte

he practiced disdain for mankind

Hardly giving love to another

closed away his heart and mind

 

Thinking life to be a race

he had pushed his way along

Took from the world no pleasure

he whistled but heard no song

 

Now retired and long lived

he thought himself to be paid

To have outlived all the others

was reward for plans he'd made

 

As he looked to stones he tended

for all those he'd known in life

An old dream ached in his chest

for words written to his wife

 

She had once been his true love

the only one he had known

Lost to another in his youth

he was aged, but never grown

 

Now his tears water her grave

stones of family, oh so few

The dreams of lost love fading

wonders of life he never knew

 

Called to rest some time ago

he lies cold among his peers

A shadow on winter's night

walks the graveyard of his tears

 

 

Author's Note

What is a life for? If we cower from truly living are the extra years truly living?

Reviews

[?]

Tate, this was very moving, touching. It touched my heart. So sad.
Even made me shed a tear or two. Loneliness is such a sad thing.
Breaks my heart that there are actually people out there like this. So sad, but so beautifully constructed and written.
Awesome

[Quinn Blackburn]

Wonderful thoughtful wordcrafting, Tate. Love the imagery

[xjust-for-me.x]

wow now this one very good write it says in the words stop take time enjoy what we have..because life goes on and we must embrace the bounty life spreads before us for if ignored we shall have a bitter and unfulfilled life.

[Cherrie Palmer]

Tate this is well-crafted and moving

[Geralyn Miller]

Stunning in it's simplicity, sorrow sighs echo in every word, heart tears in every verse. The saddest of all, this piece reminds me of someone I once knew, I was the only one at his funeral. In the end, he died with all his money and no friends, for I was there because I once loved his brother, who never came home from
viet Nam and I was there for him.

[George Love]

Very sad and deep. He may have physically outlived them, they in living, they outLIVED him. Wonderful!

[MarcoftheBeast]

this is very moving beyond words.a very great and perfectly written poem sir.great great job.=)

[Shellie]

Ohmigod this was brilliant. The last few lines were perfect, and astounding. Perfect piece Tate; well done xx

[the_stoic]

my perception of your write - i am intrigued if the workaholic attitude of this man made him lose his love or if it was the pain of losing his love that made him turn oblivious to emotions ... either way he suffered . poignant

[Kes]

I love this! I could really get into it because it's the sort of thing i'm terrified of - wasting my life. Alright, be cynical - life IS a race. It IS every man for himself, but so what? Fight your way to the top and then make time to have a good life too. I'm not that sentimental, but i worry that one day when i'm dead and gone all that will be left of me is a gravestone and some rotting bones... and no one will know i even existed. Because i'll have wasted my life on striving forward and being overly ambitious... but i can sympathise with the character here, because i don't want to waste my life on sentimentality and being nice and being good and being pure, when you'll probably get nothing back from that...
Oh and i adore the last stanza! It's so sad - heart wrenching.