Lemon Drizzle

Five years ago today

I baked a cake.

"Bully for you", I hear you say.

Well for me it wasn't an

everyday occurrence.

It was an act of love,

a gift for my brother Steve

to lift his spirits in an hour of need,

felled by the dreaded spread

of cancer from liver to brain.

Cancer that cruelly crept cat-like

after the trauma of transplant

that fed us and him

a sliver of hope

in the scope for a longer life.

He aquired a sweet tooth,

out of the blue it arrived,

took the pair of us by surprise. 

Returned us to decades before

when we pooled pocket money.

When black jacks were purchased

a penny for four, not forgetting

sherbert dips and the stain

of liquorice on teeth and lips.

Now he was buying sweets again.

"Take these for the journey home",

he'd say. "Something to chew on the way."

If it hadn't been so bloody tragic

I would have laughed

that here we were years later

doing the same old thing.

Now back to the cake I baked,

sadly I left it too late,

the following day

it drizzled plenty, not a lemon in sight.

Just rain and plenty of it, 

plus an avalanche of tears.

Reviews

[Fay Slimm]

A tragic loss to the villain called cancer and so heart-wrenchingly told - you shared happy times with a much loved brother and that will never be taken away Chris - - I know from a similar experience that memory has a habit of re-floating those days of sweet decades when sunk are our tears in floods of tears. Brothers are gifts we never forget and thank you for sharing yours with us here..........

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Fay, yes that villain cancer has certainly robbed me of many loved ones and anniversaries are always difficult. My younger brother a gift.

Chris

[@_av_poetry]

Losing a sibling is like losing a limb. The only person who's been there since day one. Your partner in crime.
This is a lovely, bittersweet poem. Keep baking and keep writing to honor his memory. It's all we can do to soften the sting of loss.

[Chris Shaw]

What a perfectly fine and understanding review you have left for me here. I thank you sincerely for your words and your visit.

Chris

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Such a sad tale told in remminicance and remembrance of one so loved but taken by that curse that takes so many without remorse. A very poignant poem filled with pathos and love. The play on drizzle most sad and apt.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you John. Anniversary blues, but I keep him alive in my thoughts by writing about him. I appreciate your visit.

Chris

[John the Baptist]

This one was poignant for me, as I recently had a visit from an out of town friend who is dealing with lung cancer. Odd how tragedies can cause old memories to surface. I am sure your brother appreciated your efforts.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you John. If my words were relatable, then that works for me.

Chris

[Robert Trakofler]

it pretty hard not to add to that avalanche after reading this... Chris, the first time i read it i was literally just frozen as the words permeated my conscious wait did she say...yes she did, numb wave slap in the face and i instantly felt your lines as sincere and true love and loss and then i had leave the page because i didn't even know where to begin to say what this did to me. Chris there is an intimacy between us poets when we read each other we absorb pieces of each other and i think I have a pretty good hold onto you... I know that you love so strongly and you choose actively see the world with those eyes of adore and unabashed truth. so when you speak so clearly of the bond of your brother and the pain of its sever it gives me an instant ache of sadness and a dash of anger at your loss but also it is just another testament of just how strongly you choose to be a light and a witness of your brother who lives on in your words.

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Bunny, this is such an endearing review. You are right, I do love family and friends strongly. Sometimes to my own detriment. This poem on the fifth anniversary of his passing, keeps him alive in my thoughts. I thank you for all you have said.

Chris

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

I am so sorry for you loss. It looks as if you helped his last days be a pleasurable as you could.
Thank you for sharing such a deeply personal story.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Dale for your lovely review. Your kind words are appreciated.

Chris

[Ted Kniffen]

A tragically sweet story about love and hope...despair and tears...but from the sounds, a fitting tribute to a much loved and still missed brother.

A good one, Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Ted, yes a mixed bag of emotions here, you have summed that up well. He had been ill a long time. Anniversaries still play on the mind though. Your thoughts much appreciated.

Chris

[Einstein Noodle]

:( i don't know what to say Chris :( i feel the wringer you, your family and your brother went through .. i love lemon and your title gave me mouth watering expectations and so the contrast and turn your poem takes struck home .. i know the loss . and the surprise no matter how "prepared" one says they are .. such a different and wonderful tribute ma'am .. i feel you
E.

[Chris Shaw]

Hello Mr E. He loved lemon too, that's why it was a lemon drizzle I baked. It didn't go to waste his three sisters and his wife made sure of that. We eat it for him. Yes the family did go through the wringer. He had been very ill for a number of years, but we never stopped hoping. That is all you have left. Anniversaries are still difficult and that's when I remember him most. Appreciating your kindness and your visit.

Chris

[Einstein Noodle]

:) i can see you guys with cake crumbs on yer faces :))))))))))) funny those anniversaries .. one never has to put them on the calendar .. they roll around and do their own reminding in one way or another don't they :(( but there is a softening .. and the sorrow becomes an honor ..not a burden eh?! hugs and peace Chris!!

[Chris Shaw]

There is a softening and there is a pride in the sorrow. That tells me a great deal. Cake always helps :)) Thank you Mr E.

[Einstein Noodle]

sure enjoy you ma'am! :)

[Chris Shaw]

:))...............

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Chris for sharing the poem. Some sadness cannot never leave us. Become a part of us.
Coyote

[Chris Shaw]

Life is a balance Coyote. It can't be all happy. We all have our sadness es and we all have our moments of happy too. Thank you for your visit and have a lovely day my friend.

Chris

[Coyote Poetry]

You are right dear Chris and you are welcome.