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Departed Spirits Dr. Gayle F. Arrowood 530 W. Devonshire #60 Hemet, CA 92543 (909) 766-8075 pub@onemain.com Departed Spirits Through the gates lies the two and a half acres where he golfed his retirement; his van that took me to art classes still in the garage. The garden sprouts to his tune. The treelings he planted in front of the house, the fruit trees in back thrive like a memorial to him, the tombstone he’s yet to have; the stray cats he’d fed, gone; now mice lurk in dark corners scratching. His dogs mimic Cerberus howling at the door, awaiting his return. In the living room his blue chair near the fireplace he always kept crackling in the winter; the dining room table with his books, the cartoons he cut from newspapers, his keys, my favorite toys as a child, like his humor—gone as his spirit is. My recovery complete. Talking to mom as she frantics the buttons on her electronic Black Jack game. Then to his bathroom as if entering Hades, the warm glow like the fireplace permeating the small room. I can hear the shower no longer nursing him back to life after the night’s darkness; can smell the smoke from the forbidden cigarette and hear his cough like mine, the one that jolted mom just six months ago right after he died; can almost see the newspaper he always read to refuel his satires. Listen! I hear him creeping on the back porch. His spirit still here cleansing me as if he lives, but only in my head and heart because, unlike the earth, the soul and goblins don’t exist. |
Additional Notes:
I hope to make some contact with others who are going through the throes of the death(S) of loved ones. The attitudes described herein are not abiding ones, simply things which crossed my mind at that phase of the griefing process. Hope to hear from others in the same spot.
This Poem was Critiqued By: Litz Herschel On Date: 2003-10-05 19:10:18
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
C. What a moving poem! Definitely reminds me of the loss of my parents several years ago. I still miss them terribly. Somehow that doesn't end. But to your poem. Excellent images reveal both father and narrator. What he did for her, animals, gardens, and probably things she learned from him. The narrator's feelings toward this man are shown quite sharply in the images. Excellent Poem. Thank you for sharing this one with me. This is a topic many of us are compelled to deal with at times. You're not alone.
Litz