Holding On

an august birthday
finds auntie out of this world
within a communal lounge
in the company of
other wanderers and sleepers

comfy with cushions
oblivious today’s cake
will mark 91 anniversaries
since her Hammersmith birth

her memory shot to pieces
though she recalls every
minute detail of evacuation
during the war

her lips tremble

the blitz bombings
separated from parents
to live with strangers
at the tender age of seven

i spy clouds in her eyes
she drifts to no man’s land
a tear rolls and then another
she weeps in silence

before she blinks
to return to the land
of the barely living
to the only family remaining
in what has been a reclusive
and sad life

Reviews

[Neville]

Ssh it happens & all too often to those we love and or hold dear .. Shh it's no great secret tho, but not everyone wishes to hear .. dementia in all of its many forms is like a cancer of the mind .. and which robs those it touches of far more than just the obvious .. I feel for your aunt and all those in the same boat.

Neville

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Neville. No whispers, it needs to be shouted loud and clear. This is the way many will end up and it is a tragedy. Thankfully, my aunt still knows me and appreciates my visits and the hugs she gets. Very little but for her, it is alot.

Chris

[Andrew John]

I'm finding this gripping and sad. Some lovely thoughts arranged here, Chris. Are we all going to find a similar ending to our lives? Yes, gripping yet sad.

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Andrew. Sad to the lonely lives that some people lead. Often as a matter of choice. I appreciate your visit. All good wishes.

Chris

[W. Barrett Munn]

Marvelous, my dear. What a wonderfully sad reflection on a life torn by war, and it is so modern as it could be anybody and anyone's life.

Winston

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Winston. I appreciate you. Have a good Monday.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

the things we do remember even when our memory is shot to pieces.
I like your metaphor there connecting to the war.
I find this really sad that she has had such a sad life...still memories, but not ones for which to smile.
this is perfectly put together in its description.
You never just tell in your poems, you always show.
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks J. Yes she has had a very sad and lonely life. She could have changed some of it for the better, but chose not to. Not much to smile at these days, but she does smile when I visit. Pleased I show rather than tell:)

Chris

[Sami Khalil]

An inspiring story and a cherished memory of her; tough generation indeed. I'm sad about her last days.
A memorable poem dear Chris

[Chris Shaw]

She did come from a generation who had much to deal with. She has inner resilience but has led a sad life. Thank you so much Sami, fir checking this one out. All the best to you.

Chris

[Sami Khalil]

OMG! You are welcome.