When the Glass is Empty

(written following the death of a newly married policeman in our locality, on duty,)

In my thought stream
flows Lissie
for nine days she murmurs
in the corridors of my mind

Water under the bridge
what is done is done

For life screams unfair
strikes out in blind cruelty
cuts with its callous
unkindness

Fairy tale wedding
a month ago
her love in the course of duty
maintaining that thin blue line
taken
by those whose future focused
not on decency, but a life of crime

Redrum says I
because I can't say it as it is
all her dreams wiped out
with her effervescent smile

Lissie
left, bereft
clinging to an album
filled with memories
and crushed hopes

Reviews

[Patricia Wedel]

dearest Chris... the times we now live... has changed our demeanor
to the point of drowning in sorrow for all the Immigrants who truly
need a better Life. Separating the Wheat from the chaff... is difficult.
We will never be Care-free... now that precious lives are at Risk.
Your poetry always touches our inner thoughts. tenderly, Pat

[Chris Shaw]

How right you are Pat about never being care free. There is always something to concern us and to keep us awake at night. I can't remember when I last had an undisturbed night's sleep. It is so long ago. Sending you love from across the pond.

Chris

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Chris... I believe Prayer is Powerful... we can still pray that perhaps... it is God's way... although it is difficult to know that innocent people suffer. Be Brave and sleep well... knowing that there are still people who are fighting for Peace and Love in so many ways. It seems impossible to repair the damage; however, there is always Hope. truly, Pat

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Such a sad and poignant poem and tribute to a fallen husband, man and professional policeman. You capture the sadness and the unfair nature of this but also the helplessness as such things occur without warning or reason!

[Chris Shaw]

Good morning John on a fabulous Sunday. Yes we never know what lurks behind the corner. Timing can be so terribly cruel. Have a great day.

Chris

[Lorry]

Not the first and sadly, doubt will be the last. Any senseless death shocks us, yet somehow, the fact they were married just 4 weeks ago makes it somehow worse.
Killing a guy who is out there stopping the maniacs killing us really puts the waste of it all into perspective. Some people simply need to be locked up and the key thrown away.
A beautiful tribute to the senselessness of it all Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Lorry, you say it all in your response. Terribly sad situation. Have a great Sunday. It's a scorcher here.

Chris

[Lorry]

Scorcher here too. Must be due the apocalypse any minute now. We were hotter than Mexico yesterday. I even saw a water break at the footie yesterday, usually that means flooding 😀

[Chris Shaw]

Ha ha, looks like another one today as well :)

[Gee]

That anyone due bad enough but to go this way so shortly after getting wed is heart breaking.
The fella that has been charged will, if found guilty, no doubt be released at some stage to enjoy his life, whilst the friends and family of the policeman killed will never escape their sentence.
Good morning Chris, hope all is well. Make sure you apply plenty of factor 50 today, gonna be a hot one :))

[Chris Shaw]

I sincerely hope the sentence reflects the severity of the crime. We will have to wait and see. Tragic all round. Factor 50 on and sizzling in the marina. Have a great day Gee. Many thanks for your visit. Hope you and yours are well.

Chris

[emmajoy]

Your word s speak for some many Brits, Chris. Don't know how many times I've said, 'Keep safe' to someone in his profession. That such a young man in such a new marriag e could have left for work that day but will ne ver again turn his key in the lock - its an unbelievable tragedy. Prayers in church tomorrow , vigils in so many places, but nothing will open his front door or let him call for his darling Lissie again. Taken me over twenty m inutes to get out th ose words.. sorry.

Your poem's written with so much empathy and respect, Christi ne. Thank y ou for being YOU.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

you know...this poem means a lot in this day and age...people keep complaining about police brutality...and there is enough of that for sure...but we forget that so many are lost in the line of duty...and they have families as well...people who have to go on without them.
this is so sad...
and so powerful the way you wrote it.
j.

[Relic]

I just read tonight of a newly married couple who died a short time after they were married. Like moments after. Life may become unfair no matter who you are. This is a good illustration of a criminal with no regard for life having his way and a good man cut down trying to protect others.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Tim. This just goes to show how we should make the most of each moment because we don't know what lurks round the corner. Tragic situation. Have a great day.

Chris

[Onlyme]

How very true this tale is above Chris, like the young policeman they other days, who recently just got married and was on duty and got killed by getting his body carried along by a car that hit him chasing baddies. No remorse or guilt from the predator who did this evil crime. But his poor newly widow has to
deal with her grief not long after saying I do to her beloved at the church alter.

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Dawn, this write is about that policeman's widow Lissie. It happened in our neck of the woods. So utterly tragic. Wedding photographs were heart breaking to look at. Thank you for your visit.

Chris

[Onlyme]

i must admit, i thought it was about them. I totally agree tragic and utterly shocking to say the least.

[R.E. Ray]

Chris, this brought a tear. I identify with this one... twenty-six years in law enforcement, and weekly tragedies, drugs, death, human misery, always touching not only the victims but the entire community. Thank you for honoring this police officer. Though weakened, the thin blue line remains intact.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much. Police Officers have a very difficult job to do. We should always remember that. I understand why you related to this poem. You too should be thanked for your service.

Chris

[DAH]

There is a news-like presentation to his piece, alerting us
to the disaster, to the cutting down of a lover.

Sometimes life is a fairytale, and other times it's a nightmare.
Either way, we get up and move on, holding foto memories in hand.
We stumble and wobble, straighten our clothes and hair, and
put a smile on our faces, and we move on, or we lay down and die.

The choice is absolutely ours, no matter what others advise or
tell us what we should be doing. We keep pushing, keep going,
keep focused: poor Lissie will make a choice ...

Bravo, Christine,
DAH

[Chris Shaw]

Many thank DAH. Yes poor Lissie, with every ounce of strength and courage she can muster in the days ahead, she will do what her husband would want for her. To live and live well.

Chris

[DAH]

You're welcome, Chris!

[Wild Rose]

Lovely tribute Christine

She clings to her album filled with precious memories
But also many empty pages never to be filled

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Wild Rose. Yes, the missing pages will be sorely felt in this tragedy.

Chris