Cultural Prompt
The Road Not Chosen Of His Remembered Reflections
“If I only had one more day I would…”
Remember those good old times,
when you used to fix breakfast for us with a kettle of loose-leaf tea every morning,
when your dance and laughter in the driveway used to cramp my whole torso,
when silent-enchanted tears glazed from your eyes at our children births,
and when the touch of your hands used to heal my soul,
for your warm arms were always my home.
But there came that moment when grief made it hard for me to hear,
your words began to flicker, and the sound came in snatches,
I began to resonate with the emptiness between the stars,
like a cold dark matter fading in and out
and your absence echoed in every room of our house.
Under the sun-lanced sky, your dark shadow turned,
wanted to feel that tender touch of mine,
when my heart skipped a beat for at least one last time.
I wanted you to call my name and wanted to say how much I care,
without you to shore me up and hold to drape around my shoulders,
I sank into a world of wordless grief,
‘cos losing you was like having a rug swept from under me.
Now, my world is at an end as I hear you, grieving alone
If only I had one more day, I’d breathe your dark reflection
to live with my love one more time ‘cos I’ll be here for your spirit to hold
staying forever as a longing, between your shadow and my soul.
© Sneha Mankar
Thank you for reading :)
In response to Thomas Plummer “Blue Insights Cultural Prompts — October 2020”: If I only had one more day I would…..
