Horror
by Merry Raymond
A bright spring day.
A handful of the kindest people.
Smart clothes.
Red brick, neatly tended.
Flowers.
A shiny black car.
Silver trimmings.
A tiny white coffin.
A father's arms to carry it.
Flowers.
Letters filled with love.
Love was not enough.
Music.
Poetry.
Flowers.
A kiss on a box to say good-bye.
A touch from a finger tip.
Run away. Don't look back.
Later, another box.
A Baby Boy. Aged 11 days.
The world is inside out.
This is horror.
Birth and Death.
Friends.
Flowers.
:::
about this piece.
I woke up with this in my head in the early hours of the morning on the 5th month date since Freddie's death. Jess has just read it on After Iris Reads Aloud and it sounds incredibly beautiful in her voice. It's a description, obviously, of his funeral and cremation - something I still cannot quite believe I have been to. And although it was a horrific experience, it was very beautiful and we've not yet buried his ashes, partly because I can't imagine replicating the simple perfect awfulness of that day in a way that wouldn't jar horribly and seem a glaring parody of the original day. There is a description of his funeral here. -Merry
about the poet.
Merry writes at a Patch of Puddles.
Beautiful, so heavy with the emotions and description.
ReplyDelete"The world is inside out". It's an apt description of life after loss. My little girl is called Merrilie - her dad calls her Merry. I hadn't come across anyone with the same name until now. Thank you for sharing your poem.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Merry...
ReplyDelete