Swan Island - Last Days

Swan Island - Last Days

A Poem by Chris Shaw
"

(from the archives, six years ago)

"
i imagine this place
bedecked in winter lace
ice crystals on bark
.
ground cold and bare
the icy stare of trees
freezing to attention
.
confined to his bed
his glass reads empty
as he thirsts for life
.
i search for sun
sadly there is none
by the river, i shiver
.
i am dying in summer
from grief on an island
surrounded by swans
.

© 2020 Chris Shaw


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Featured Review

Every stanza jabs me with a deep sense of letting go . . . one minute I'm reading about losing one's grasp on memories, & your message keeps twisting into a new angle, awaiting death or mourning it later. Your statements are made with simplicity, but each line shines with depth (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Many thankd Margie. Written about four days before my brother died. I came across this in an old no.. read more



Reviews

That last verse is a killer. This is almost tainted romance. Tainted with death. Excellent write about loss.

Posted 10 Months Ago


Chris Shaw

10 Months Ago

Many thanks Ken. An old poem out for a breath of fresh air. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2024. Al.. read more


.. thank heaven this was not your swan song Chris, you did poetry proud with this one my friend .. Neville

Posted 10 Months Ago


Chris Shaw

10 Months Ago

Aw, that was a difficult time. A few days before my brother passed. Yes, I thought I would die too o.. read more
Such stunning imagery wraps a heartbreaking story here. I'm reading this poem over and over again for the sheer inspiration and the absolute beauty of your words...

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

AJNJ

4 Years Ago

You're one poet I'm always delighted to read! Your words reflect your high thinking and great outloo.. read more
Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Blushing with gratitude:)
AJNJ

4 Years Ago

🤗..............!
This is makes me feel desperate and anxious. That feeling of not being able to fix something and being saddled with waiting for something that is worth waiting for, but nothing that we really want. What a personal comment here, whether yours or someone else's...excruciating.

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

That was such a sad and anxious time Crowley. Stuck with no way out. I really appreciate your visit... read more
I felt the longing, the memories in the words dear Chris. When the world stopped for us. We yearn for things missed. Thank you for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Dear Coyote, the world did indeed stop for me for a while when my younger brother died. I could have.. read more
Coyote Poetry

4 Years Ago

I understand. I lost two brothers to suicide in the late eighties . I left my old world to escape th.. read more
This memoir shows how reencountering places associated with loss can revive feelings of grief that time may have somewhat assuaged. In the first lines the speaker imagines how the island must look in winter, with everything cold and bare and covered by ice. This landscape hints of death, causing a shiver even in the summer heat. I am not sure what the swans symbolize, but the speaker mentions them in an ironic way, so there is a contrast between the birds and the landscape. Quite a moving piece.

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Thank you John. I returned there briefly last year and it dud bring back all the sadness of tge firs.. read more
dear Chris... some of us think of... "Our Swan Song"
"Swan Lake Waltz - Tchaikovsky"... as a beautiful analogy
of leaving with beauty and Grace; however I am not ready
to leave this place...
our beautiful World and Country. tenderly, Pat

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Time heals Pat and though I will always miss my brother, I am not ready to join him yet. Thank you m.. read more
This looks like a slow painful path to finality; reaching for everything lovely, the summer, warmth, swans. I like the flow of your words..like"... his glass reads empty" Nicely written Chris!

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Waiting for the inevitable, surrounded by the grace of mother nature. Thank you Betty.

.. read more
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bee
Wow, this is so beautiful and full of vivid imagery. The ending really touched me.

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Many thanks bee for your thoughtful review.

Chris

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Added on August 2, 2020
Last Updated on August 2, 2020

Author

Chris Shaw
Chris Shaw

Berkshire, United Kingdom



About
Albert, my paternal grandfather introduced me to Tennyson when I was nine. I have loved poetry ever since but did not attempt writing a single piece until I was 40. It's never too late to try somethin.. more..

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