Rachel was 67 and living all alone.
She just had a text on her phone,
It read “Your husband Jim has passed away last night,
After 6 months chemotherapy he gave up the fight.
She hadn’t seen him for weeks and fell to the floor,
It rocked her world to the core.
The funeral was a small one. Jim had no friends,
And so she decided to keep it simple to make amends.
In the attic she found two cardboard boxes on top of a heap.
She labelled one “To Burn” and the other one “To keep” .
She then went through his possessions one by one.
Intending to burn the past and anything he had done.
She was angry with him because he died.
He had no right to die and so she cried.
“Jim you bastard did you even love me.
You never once should me that you truly love me.”
The first item was a photograph of the two of them,
Walking together in front of the Taj Mahal in Agra.
“Definitely have to burn that one! I got food poisoning,
And Jim had to care for me all the time we were there.
But he never said he loved me.
Ahh there’s the London Bridge. We had Devonshire tea there.
It was so cold I couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel.
But he never said he loved me.
Oh God here’s a replica of the Eiffel Tower.
I remember we had frogs legs and I was throwing up all night.
But he never said he loved me.
Ahh what is this a letter. I haven’t seen this before.
Dear Rachel,
As you know I’m on my way to Hospital.
They say my cancer is very aggressive.
If I don’t survive I want you to know,
I did love you more than any man has loved a woman.
As the Sun shines each day it is jealous of our love.
As the Moon in the night sky hides itself behind a cloud.
Because it cannot compete with your beauty.
Rachel feel to the floor grasping the letter to her heart,
She cried and cried for now they were truly apart.
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Author:
David Wakeling (
Online) - Published: March 26th, 2025 01:33
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 10
- Users favorite of this poem: Goldfinch60
Online)
Comments5
Wonderful words David. I do not do this very often but it is going into my favourites.
Andy
Thank you mi amigo. Coming from you that is real praise.
You had to do that!!! You owe me a box of Kleenex🙏🏻🕊️
Sorry about that. Thanks for your comments either way
This is a wonderful poem that can be taken in more than one way. I love that. Too often we rely on words when actions should speak louder, on the other hand the act of telling someone what we feel is most important and the moment can escape as a missed opportunity. Should she have opened her eyes and seen love without words or should he have opened his mouth and spoken what his heart told him or should she have placed so much value on words all questions evoked by the poem. Very nicely said David
You are exactly right, Thank you so much. Communication is such a difficult one to get right
Well written, your poem aims to convey the complexity of love and loss, highlighting the unexpressed emotions that can linger even after a partner's passing. It captures the struggle of reconciling memories with feelings of anger and regret, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of love.
Thank you so much for your amazing insight. Much appreciado
The thing most people want to hear and for some one of the hardest things to say, a wonderful write
You are absolutely right.Thanks for commenting
You are very welcome
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