Haunted

[Hawkman]

I am haunted by my memories,
An endless stream of moments;
Filled with ghosts, those voids,
Where once she walked in life.
Why did I weep, and give my tears to the dead?
She did not need them.
But I shed them for myself,
For grief; at first my loss was all I knew.

Yet now I see her, or the shadow of her life,
Touching me in places where we were,
Still heard, the laughter of shared joys,
Unforgotten, and forever out of reach.

Then a fleeting glimpse of her I find,
In another’s walk, the way they toss their head,
Or the colour of their hair.
So I’m haunted by my memories,
But take comfort from them too,
Because, although she’s gone and won’t return,
She’s with me still.

[BienvenuJDC]

Magnificent!
While haunted, they give comfort too...I understand...

[Hawkman]

Thanks, I'm glad it touched you.

H

[Haunted]

Your words resonate...Substitute "she" with "they" and it would be my poem, although mine would have ended before the last paragraph...

In its own context and sentiments, it's perfect as you wrote it.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Above all, I too feel haunted by these lines in particular:


Then a fleeting glimpse of her I find,
In another’s walk, the way they toss their head,
Or the colour of their hair.

With this poem and the ones that recently preceded it, I feel you're swimming in poetry.

[BienvenuJDC]

Although I think that the intended 'she', may have been a romantic loss, my 'she' is maternal.
Fond memories feel good and hurt at the same time. :sad: (tears of joy AND sorrow)

[Hawkman]

Thanks everyone, for your kind words and comments on this piece. I hope that it reflects, as intended, on how one may eventually come to terms with a loss.

Sweet Prince; if only you’d been moved by other lines – on reading your post I was reminded that:
“the way they toss their head,
Or the colour of their hair.”

bear an uncomfortable similarity to a line from a 1960’s pop song (the name of the group and title escape me) although the context was different. In my defence I must say that I was not thinking about the song when I wrote it. Rather, I believe that these triggers of memory are a universal truth, so I hope that is why they resonate with you. As for swimming in poetry, a gracious compliment, thanks. I may not actually be swimming but I’m keeping my head above water.

Live long and prosper.

H

[Pendragon]

Ah how the years and memories do haunt a body so. Thanks for sharing this most excellent poem!

[qimissung]

It's good. My favorite lines are the last two.

[KrystalB1985]

very well written

[Bar22do]

I love your sad poem, well written, straightforward and with restrained emotion. Actually, we don't know whether our dead need our tears or not, but since we can't but mourn, we can devote the mourning to our comfort on one side, and "offer" it, on the other hand, to soften their transition, and yes, plunge into memories, continue seeing their smiles, recognizing their smell or colour in the living...
I was moved by your poem, and thank you.

[~Sophia~]

Personal loss is tough to write about without too much angst or an emotional outburst. I think you've handled it very well here, as though you are at that last stage of grieving and can finally move on. Good one!

[Hawkman]

Thanks everyone. I find drawing on personal experience makes it easier to write than fiction, but there are some I am much less willing to share, so having done so and recieved so warm a reception, I am touched and grateful.

Thanks again.

H