Weeping Bones

With you went so much of me.

Forgive me my silence,

but I have no reply

to the breath of your death

but the tears in my eye.

My heart has been broken,

and the life in me spent

like thunder in the sky

mumbling its discontent.

 

It flutters, and it swings

trapped in a raven’s beak

falling into the flames

whereof lips do not speak.

A prison for my soul

with a coffin and lid,

the night pushes me down

where the living forbid.

 

I reach out to hold you,

but you left me alone.

I stare at the carving

of your name in cold stone.

The words are verboten.

The stars fall from the sky.

The willow is weeping

as the train passes by.

 

If ever you need me,

know I need you the most;

and I will be waiting

for the presence of ghost.

In the chapel of night,

beneath river and stones,

ever be it written

that I weep in my bones.

Author's Note

Reviews

[emmajoygreen]

' If ever you need me,
know I need you the most;
and I will be waiting
for the presence of ghost.
In the chapel of night,
beneath river and stones,
ever be it written
that I weep in my bones.'

Your words hit home and deeply, Linda. Silence is understandable when followed by the numbest chill of absence.. of your words first to last. Is as if one's flesh and mind has been scourged, scarred and thrown to.. those distant peripheres we can't see but know exist. You are here wrapped in your life as if a thrift shop net curtain that grew fur. Heavier and heavier. Your pain lights your words, exhibits and shares.. is like a helping hand in a warped way... beckoning pain to join pain and torment as if a gift. It's not though is it? It's the wrapping that surrounds and stays, magnetised, melded.

[William Michael Reeves]

Your poem made me think of Anne Rice. It's like you summed up a bunch of her books in one poem. Servant of the Bones, and a ghost love story she wrote, Violin. You go from quoting Rumi in the last one I read to channeling Rice. I've always wondered why willows weep.

[Lorry]

Beautifully expressed, the pain of loss, whilst you need not share who they were with the audience, as the pain is more than palpable enough without the need for naming who meant so much as to who they were, any more than you have allowed in this already perfect piece.

[John the Baptist]

The grief in this one is almost palpable. The deceased is definitely one who was close, but no details are provided. Neither do we know how recent the passing was. I wondered if the raven in verse two is a nod to Poe, who often wrote of loves claimed by death. The mourning here is unbroken, as though the speaker is inconsolable, and time alone will bring any comfort.
PS: In the last verse, consider putting an "a" before "ghost."

[Carmine Branco]

Lovely flow of the rhythm of the verses. Death is always gelid, especially when it takes away those we love. But love is eternal and never dies. The deep pain of loss is so tangible that it brings tears to the eyes, as the reader envisions the emotions that inspired these lovely verses.

[Betty Hermelee]

A stunning though sad piece, but created so that the reader must weep, must shiver at the emptiness of death, all silence...only your breath which is a whisper.... the need for someone loved, more than he/she ever knew....excellent!
Warmly,
B.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you so much, Betty. I appreciate the visit and the review.

[Betty Hermelee]

You’re very welcome!
Warmly, B

[willweb]

Another sad piece that tugs at the heartstrings of the reader. You take their hand with your words and lead them through your poetic world to show them what feelings, good or bad, are really like.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, dear friend. I hope you enjoyed your time away. Welcome back!

[Chris Shaw]

Your writing leaves me speechless at times with its depth of feeling Linda. You just go one step deeper than any other poet I know. Amazing work.

Chris

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

O! Wow! Thank you so much, Chris. That is high praise indeed, and I am humbled.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

God, I just love this title.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Jacob. Feel free to use it to create a poem of your own with the same title. I think you've connected to it in a special way, and I would love to see the outcome.