Swan Island - Last Days

(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

.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

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

[Chris Shaw]

Many thankd Margie. Written about four days before my brother died. I came across this in an old notebook and decided to give it an airing.

Chris

[Ken Simm.]

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

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Ken. An old poem out for a breath of fresh air. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2024. All the best.

Chris

[Neville]

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

[Chris Shaw]

Aw, that was a difficult time. A few days before my brother passed. Yes, I thought I would die too of grief. Thank you my friend. All grief eventually softens.

Chris

[AJNJ]

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...

[Chris Shaw]

You've just knocked my socks off with this fabulous review. Thank you so much Pestonjee. Truly appreciated.

Chris

[AJNJ]

You're one poet I'm always delighted to read! Your words reflect your high thinking and great outlook on life, clearly and beautifully.

[Chris Shaw]

Blushing with gratitude:)

[AJNJ]

🤗..............!

[Crowley]

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.

[Chris Shaw]

That was such a sad and anxious time Crowley. Stuck with no way out. I really appreciate your visit. Have a lovely week-end.

Chris

[Coyote Poetry]

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

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Coyote, the world did indeed stop for me for a while when my younger brother died. I could have stayed on that island for good in those moments.

Chris

[Coyote Poetry]

I understand. I lost two brothers to suicide in the late eighties . I left my old world to escape the memories.

[John the Baptist]

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.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you John. I returned there briefly last year and it dud bring back all the sadness of tge first time I visited. Thank you.

Chris

[Patricia Wedel]

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

[Chris Shaw]

Time heals Pat and though I will always miss my brother, I am not ready to join him yet. Thank you my dear friend for your beautiful, heaing words.

Chris

[Betty Hermelee]

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!

[Chris Shaw]

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

Chris

[bee]

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

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks bee for your thoughtful review.

Chris