Epitaph

postpunkpixie on Mar 11, 2009

Tags: clique, death, friendship, grief, loss, Poetry, stream of consciousness, tribute

One of my best friends recently lost someone, so this is another stream-of-consciousness piece in reaction to the news.

Epitaph

“Don’t worry about it, he’ll be fine,” we had told her.

How dead the words sound now,

Dead,

How can I use that word in a situation like this?

He wasn’t fine.

He was gone.

We don’t know the details yet.

The police will tell her in time.

The shock was the first thing.

Senseless, blameless, unexpected,

He was a grown man

Twice our age

But still too young for this.

A creative type,

I hardly knew him,

But I liked him.

He was so nice.

I played a song for him at the club,

Though he had never been,

A small tribute.

Small enough to go unnoticed.

Large enough to ease my soul.

I worry about her.

They were so close.

He was her way of surviving.

Without him…

I do not know.

We are so close to the end of this now

To the end of our education.

We need each other for this last push,

Like soldiers

Over the top, into no man’s land,

Our clique is splintering.

How can we go on?

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Comments (15)

Serenity Jones on Mar 11, 2009
Reads like an allegory on life.
Bullwinkle Muse on Mar 11, 2009
At times like this, we’re never closer to our inner selves. What we see and hear from them, when we give them voice – as you have here – determines how we deal with those times.

I loved the passage :Small enough to go unnoticed.

Large enough to ease my soul.

…written strongly enough to touch mine. Well done, my friend.
revivor on Mar 11, 2009
really good, strong, rhythmic writing
it oozes emotion and drama, deals with the issues head on
love it – revivor
Tammy Wyrick on Mar 11, 2009
I like that passage that Bullwinkle Muse had mention above. At least you do try to be her best friend at need. It never feels like you can do enough, but do something just to ease our minds and souls. Now watch, sit, and wait if she ask for some more. Keep your door open and just let time heal.
Darla Cooke on Mar 11, 2009
There is so much emotion in this poem. I can feel it in your words.
spiritwalker on Mar 11, 2009
Lovely and somehow hope for the soul Thank you…death unfortunately awaits us all. And sometimes when we cannot feel we do feel guilty. Greive as you will.
Paul Roberts on Mar 11, 2009
Emma, Im sorry . I liked the work though. Your fan,friend,smile
Kate Smedley on Mar 12, 2009
How sad,I’m so sorry to hear this. The emotion in this poem is so strong. I hope your friend is coping OK.
Alice Wonder on Mar 12, 2009
This is very raw, I loved it. It’s seething with despair. I’ll skip the details, but I’m essentially standing in your shoes at the moment (though I grew up with this person). So this hits home. The entire situation is just baffling, what do you say? What do you think? I’ve had friends whose family or close friends have died, and it consumed them completely for years. Tricky situation.
Alicia Wind on Mar 12, 2009
Just go on…!!
STEVE666 on Mar 12, 2009
Won’t comment on the content—which is obviously personel. Love your free-flow style of writing though, like you’re just letting your thoughts escape. Very good.
Joni Keith on Mar 12, 2009
Death is always hardest on the living. Grief is a personal thing. We all grieve in our own way. You’ve done a meaningful job expressing yours here.
Fegger on Mar 14, 2009
Small enough to go unnoticed.

Large enough to ease my soul.

Emma–I can’t say enough about these two lines. The piece in general is exceptional, but these two are beyond that. Wonderful.
Bo Russo on Mar 14, 2009
Good piece on a sad subject….like everyone else,I was enamored with the two lines also as I was reading it.
S A JOHNSON on Mar 21, 2009
Great work

Epitaph

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