Tag Archives: #forgotten-words

Loss

When he lost the wisdom of his age
I mourned that loss for it was mine
As well as his. I lost the little pieces
Of us as he lost little bits of himself.
He was never alone in all his losses.
I stayed by his side hoping love was
Enough to lessen his burden, knowing 
That losses do not relieve us. That's a
Contradiction to expectations, loss
Doesn't take away; it adds to burdens.
Nothing is lightened by our losses.
So as he loses more of who he is, I 
Mourn his loss as well as my own.
I mourn my loss of him as I watch 
Him count his losses, his awareness
Adding to the burdens of loss. So 
Much taken away, never my love,
This always remains, steadfastly by
His side although I know I cannot
Share his burden or lift it in order
To lessen his share of it. We each 
Share the loss but it isn't lessened
Or cut in half. We mourn in full our
Losses each to each, our burden
Mourned as mine, mourned as his.
When he lost the wisdom of his age
I mourned that loss for it was mine.

The origin poem

For 60 years I have tried to reproduce 
A highly-charged poem that celebrated
The night, the sensuality of the felines
Who inhabit it. Slinky gorgeous purring
Cats whose meows echoed love-making
While they slid quietly on padded paws 
Enjoying the heat of summer and winds
Blowing curtains to and fro. Cautious cats
And careless cats, busy or idle, deep in
The night, as if one with the darkness. 
60 years is enough to have forgotten. I
Have. Forgotten the rhythms, the sultry
Movement of those forgotten  creatures 
The splendid heat of a summer-long past