The merry bells, the bells they ring.
There is a glow on everything,
and yet a sadness lingers on
for the one forever gone.
The Old One sits beside the fire
watching the flames grow ever higher.
This time is for remembering
who once was part of everything.
We will still gather, cook the feast,
lentils and rice, for some, roast beast,
but there will be that empty chair,
and he should still be sitting there.
Gather 'round with all most dear.
Remember those no longer here.
The years are going by too fast.
Joy cannot forever last.
The elder's eyes already know
how very fast we come and go,
keeps to herself the secret true:
one year she will be missing too.
"The years are going by too fast.
ReplyDeleteJoy cannot forever last."
What a gentle and devastating poem! I love every line of it, an love that you celebrate life in this song. Tears.
joy cannot forever last... what a heartbreaking poem, Sherry...life with its joy and sorrow and harsh mortality...that last verse was crushing.
ReplyDeleteA sad reality no one can can escape from.
ReplyDelete"This time is for remembering
ReplyDeletewho once was part of everything."
I feel the same way, Sherry. Each holiday brings changes....and more and more people or not at the table, and (for me anyway) sometimes an addition to the table does not feel like kin, but celebrate we do....as it is the season. And, yes, one day we each will be the one missing from the table. It is the way life works...and death.
May strength and sweet memories fill the void. So heartbreaking, Sherry.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Sherry! Especially love that last stanza. Oh....all the wisdom the elders knew when we were too busy to listen.
ReplyDeleteSuch a tender poem - may you heal and remember - Jae
ReplyDeleteOh Sherry, your poem resonates with me! I miss more friends and family with every passing year, and another two on their way out. Now it’s only the two of us at Christmas, there’s not a large feast, but a feast indeed, cooked by my talented husband.
ReplyDeleteYes, family gatherings are sad (even when nobody is in deep mourning). One wants to enjoy the others all the more for all the years when we or they won't be present any more...
ReplyDeletePK
This is exactly how I feel. It's down to my sister and me. Killer ending on this.
ReplyDelete