Saturday 28 April 2012

NaPoWriMo 28/30 Grief Encounter

Grief Encounter

Just when you think the waters are safe,
that there’s air to breathe
and walking upright is normal again,
it strikes.

A freak wave,
or rogue wind
turns you cartwheels
with a sucker punch.

Today Dad came calling
and I’m breathless,
head swims in an
ether-induced haze.

If nothing exists in a vacuum
how does nothing
manages to hurt so much
leaving scars on scars?

As is the way of the English,
I fight fire with tea,
dunk biscuits the way my
mind soaks in memories.

But you can’t drink tea
with a stiff upper lip.
As I sip his voice echoes
and a smile returns.

Not at a remembrance,
but how awkward he would find this;
emotion, outward displays of affection
and the lack of decent biscuits in the south.

2 comments:

  1. Bizarre: just spent the evening re-drafting two poems about my Dad.

    Thoroughly enjoying your NaPoWriMo poems, Mark (and still have 'My Half of the Fridge' blutacked on mine).
    Any immediate plans to perform in Leicester?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jayne,

      Closest to you soon is Nottingham on 28 June at a gig called Speech Therapy. Happy to come to Leicester if any gigs want to book me. I'll be on Radio 2 on Thursday 10 May. Thanks for the encouraging comments. Mark x

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