Leaving

[Delta40]

You left today
Hey daddy its okay
coz this time you got it just right

Fancy waiting for me to arrive
Using all your energy to survive
so you could use me as a guiding light

To help you sail out across that sea
From the shore you blessed me with your legacy
And I will treasure it down through the age

Daddy now you know you can sleep
With your honour safely in my keep
Forever etched on our family's page

Let my love free you
release you
give peace
home

[Hawkman]

Hey Delta,

This was posted before I joined the forum so Haven't seen it before. I came upon it purely by chance today, and I found it quite affecting. There is a naivety conjured by the use of daddy, with the simple sentiments expressed with restrained emotion, which is very touching.

I think it a crying shame that no one has bothered to comment on it before. There are possibly a couple of places which could stand a little polishing, but I hesitate to suggest you revisit the poem at a time so far removed from its inception. When the moment has passed and after the thought has been expressed, perhaps there is no reason to revise. Regardless of any minor flaws the piece stands on its own merit.

Live and be well - H

[Delta40]

This was written the day after my father died. He woke when I arrived and died watching me. I was a blessed mess immediately after so no, I doubt I would edit this. Thank you for bringing it to my attention again though x

[cafolini]

I have been expecting this from you. It is written in your poems and many things you say.

[Delta40]

lol. yeah I'm pretty much over most of it now.

[Haunted]

It was also before my time in the Poetry section., so it's amazing how this resurfaced, and even more amazing that it did now, when a year ago today, my last cat died.

It was the same thing with my father. They thought they would lose him in the ICU, that was when I got the call. Over the phone I told him to hang in there and I was to fly back immediately and asked him to wait for me. He was already incoherent but guess what, he stabilized! He stuck around for 3 more days after I arrived, before giving out for good.

When my first cat died, she was so not leaving for hours despite that there was nothing left of her, just horrible muscle twitches. Then the thought hit me — maybe she was hanging in there because of me. So if I went to sleep, maybe she would too. So I did, and she did too. When I woke up, she was finally in peace.

I am convinced that there's something in the human mind to wait for a loved one even when the body can't. The human spirit is incredible (Yes cats are human too, in my world anyway). The last 2 stanzas are really poignant, especially how it trails off into a single word ending. Which reminds me of another story...

A friend of someone I used to work with, she was dying of cancer. She was always full of life, and from what I gathered she had a hard time accepting that. But eventually the day came when she said, she was ready to go "home".

[cafolini]

It was also before my time in the Poetry section., so it's amazing how this resurfaced, and even more amazing that it did now, when a year ago today, my last cat died.

It was the same thing with my father. They thought they would lose him in the ICU, that was when I got the call. Over the phone I told him to hang in there and I was to fly back immediately and asked him to wait for me. He was already incoherent but guess what, he stabilized! He stuck around for 3 more days after I arrived, before giving out for good.

When my first cat died, she was so not leaving for hours despite that there was nothing left of her, just horrible muscle twitches. Then the thought hit me — maybe she was hanging in there because of me. So if I went to sleep, maybe she would too. So I did, and she did too. When I woke up, she was finally in peace.

I am convinced that there's something in the human mind to wait for a loved one even when the body can't. The human spirit is incredible (Yes cats are human too, in my world anyway). The last 2 stanzas are really poignant, especially how it trails off into a single word ending. Which reminds me of another story...

A friend of someone I used to work with, she was dying of cancer. She was always full of life, and from what I gathered she had a hard time accepting that. But eventually the day came when she said, she was ready to go "home".

I agree. As simple as that.

[Delta40]

I was on my way to the hospice but a friend stopped me and said I looked stressed. She insisted I stay and have some lunch and talk a while so I did. As soon as I arrived, my father who had been unconscious for the last 3 days, woke up. I held his hand while he kept his eyes fixed on me and proceeded to die. My brother arrived at the same time while my stepmother and her daughter stayed in the corridor insisting we couldn't go in there. It really was an amazing gift all round.