Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Stalking the Sunset



We walk the fine edge, 
between this world and the next,
trying to heal our pain, recover from our illnesses,
adjusting to the decline of the body 
that has transported us so far.
You have fought a long battle, old pal of mine.
I am sensing your grasp on life slowly slipping away.
Your eyes are on the eagle, flying free of his fetters.
You are communing with deer in your garden.
The orcas pass by, your mind engraving 
the vision and the joy.
Your heart is loving and mourning this beautiful earth
you are slowly leaving.
We are never ready to let go 
of the beauty we have loved so well.

For 35 years, you have always been there:
at the other end of the telephone,
through my joys and sorrows,
on the other side of my screen,
sharing all I was learning.
We have witnessed, encouraged and supported 
each other's journey,
collaborated on songs,
shared our love of the wild,
and music,
and sunsets.

You have been my friend, my mentor,
my guide, my guru.
You have shown me the way,
walking your pilgrim's path of the soul,
listening to your inner guides.

You can never really be gone from me.

On the other side, for you,
there will be a radiance:
your face shining as it did in coffeehouse days,
when candles flickered on you smiling in the glow,
singing Gentle Jonathan and Forever Young.

I will see you forever
strumming your guitar, singing your songs
of trees and rivers and eagles in flight.

On the other side: Manders, curled,
purring on your chest -
and no more tumors, shortness of breath,
fatigue and diminishing health.
Just an expansion of the soul
which has grown too large
for your chest to contain,
and needs more room in which to grow.

In memory, you will always be 
on stage at Brock and Friends,
or, later, stalking the sunset, 
camera in hand, at Chestermans Beach.
It is in sunsets I will forever see you,
old friend of mine.
Always remember, on the other side of sunset
comes the dawn.
That is where I'll find you,
once you're gone.


- for Susan's prompt at Midweek Motif, Healing/Recovery, which included the words "healing into death"........


31 comments:

  1. On the fine edge of transformation:
    "Your heart is loving and mourning this beautiful earth
    you are slowly leaving."
    I have seen the radiance of which you speak in a friend when he was dying of cancer. He said he felt us holding him in the Light-- and standing in his Glow we knew he was glimpsing a reality opened to those on the edge. And as this poem reveals--it is a transformation for us too, those who love and accompany and watch trusting that what is alive never dies. A border is crossed and the spirit, growing too large for this mortal coil, moves on. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am sorry for the loss of such a mentor. Someone that has always been there for you. I like how you point out our continual degradation over time. It is a journey and not one to be taken lightly. Perhaps it is all a pilgrimage to becoming whole in the after.

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh sherry - so sorry for the loss of your friend and mentor - i can imagine how tough it must be after so many years - adjusting to the decline of the body made me think of my mom who is 88 now and she can hardly walk anymore - it is tough for me to see how she's struggling though she doesn't complain much.. will be good to know that an eternal young and completely heal body is waiting there for her

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh Sherry, I am sorry for the loss of your friend and guru. It seems so cruel to lose one so dear.
    Every soul is a circle... life flows on till it merges in the Eternal.Love never dies. We all will see our loved ones again on the other side.
    A reflective piece...so well penned, Sherry!

    ReplyDelete
  5. so sorry for the loss of a friend, mentor and a guru. ...your poems are always so visual, word pictures so captivating..." later, stalking the sunset, / camera in hand, at Chestermans Beach." love the lines...

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is so beautiful, Sherry. It made me cry.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh this is so sad.. I m deeply sorry for your loss.. such a beautiful tribute this is.

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

    ReplyDelete
  8. Really very moving, Sherry. On the other side of the sunset comes the dawn...what a beautiful line & a beautiful truth. May there be radiance on the other side for all of us, and may you someday meet your friend there with his guitar in hand smiling!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Very poignant and touching. Nothing can be more hurtful and agonizing than losing a loved one. But, every soul again descends on the earth and we surely meet the ones we love in the next life perhaps or in a world beyond this earth. The concluding lines are so beautiful and thought provoking: "Always remember, on the other side of sunset
    comes the dawn.
    That is where I'll find you,
    once you're gone."

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sherry this is so beautiful, but pulled at my heart strings...seemed suddenly sad. Yes, we are all leaving, it is hard to be the last to go, to see so many other go before us....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am just thinking, did you see the movie, Tree of Life...something about the movie, seems trapped in your piece.

      Delete
  11. Knowing where to look ("That is where I'll find you...") is such a comfort.

    ReplyDelete
  12. So moving, Sherry. Much love to you X

    ReplyDelete
  13. Heartbreaking that you are going to lose such a close friend. However take comfort in the fact that you have both shared that long term love and closeness, always being there for each other. I don't believe it is that usual.Sorry you are going through this sad time.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It is hard to loose someone but you have shared so much. Remember the words of James Whitcomb Riley.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow, what a beautiful tribute. Those 35 years cannot really be lost, and those which are to come will perhaps include a different but no less valid way of keeping in touch. I love, above all, the depth of understanding in this poem. xx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sherry, you have immortalized your very close friendship with your friend in this poem...very passionate and eloquent. good points of a good speech as well.

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a small barrier separates us when they are gone. They are with us but just out of reach waiting for us to join them. Stunningly beautiful tribute to your friend.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sherry,

    This was written from the heart and I felt myself weeping a bit much like the willow I am...

    Always remember, on the other side of sunset
    comes the dawn ~ beautiful ...and so true as the dawn will bring new light...

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love the beauty in such a sorrow.. the understanding that such partings always happens too often is sad, but I like the hope you can see on the other side of the sunset..

    ReplyDelete
  20. Such a poem of acceptance and thankfulness - as if like the orcas our friends can be engraved in our souls and our being forever..which i am sure they are

    ReplyDelete
  21. I like the continuity, the flip side the other side. A very enjoyable poem Sherry

    Much love...

    ReplyDelete
  22. I like the continuity, the flip side the other side. A very enjoyable poem Sherry

    Much love...

    ReplyDelete
  23. This poem is heart-rendered and touching - truly a beautiful poem, Sherry. I love your title as well!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I am so sorry for your loss of a good friend. You have written a beautiful tribute.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Your love comes through so tenderly. You are fortunate to have had such a good friend. It's beuatiful, the way you describe her exit from this world, her sould expanding becoming too big to contain. This is lovely Sherry and my heart is with you as you grieve this loss.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Love 'Your eyes are on the eagle, flying free of his fetters.' ...so hard when Big to our hearts people leaving this life, but - a relief that they are in the light and free from the body become the kind of trap....Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Tears flowing , I thank you for such a beautiful description .

    ReplyDelete
  28. Sherry you have lost the physical presence of a friend, mentor and guru, but your poem points out that your friend's spirit is well within you and with you. A heartfelt poem...

    ReplyDelete
  29. So touching, Sherry. Your connection to him, the lessons learned are tangible in this piece.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for visiting. I appreciate it and will return your visit soon.