In the end he had given over to drink in toto
Blood of my blood brother Dave
In a fast march to oblivion
Seeking an early grave
A bodily death wish a painful, inevitable end
Helpless, I could but attend
Like Tantalus, reaching but never taking
The ambrosial fruits of life. Drinking the empty cup
And never slaking the parching thirst.
He always ran behind and never caught up
Restrained by filaments of utopia's shiny web
For him, his ship always sailed after the tidal ebb.
Searching for a hero, someone to make him worthy
Never realizing the value of his own zest for life
Short of an idol to worship using a vice instead
Sometimes this adulation (for me) lead to strife
I resented the undue attention, but now I see
He knew no other way to express his love for me
I remember my young son crying over the death
Of a wild dog shot in the wood
He, watching the life flow out in the blood
Of the wound, there were no words that ever could
Allay my son's grief or make him forget
He had seen real life too soon to my deep regret
And so it was with Dave, like a wounded creature
His bleeding soul slowly draining life's essence
And like the hemorrhaging creature blind to its cause
Rushing its death in total nescience
The soul cannot succor comfort for the mind
When its provenance is nulled by a hideous divine
Is the human spirit so given to damnation
Do we, when hope is gone, use self flagellation?
Hurrying to our deaths without purpose, totally oblivious
- Author: George (My real name) (Pseudonym) ( Offline)
- Published: April 2nd, 2016 06:08
- Comment from author about the poem: Dave is not his real name.
- Category: Family
- Views: 39
Comments2
I will be 73 on May 1st. Reading your poem Dave made me realize as I get older things from my past, for some reason, make me want to put parts of if not all of it in words, not kept just in my private thoughts. Some time the words come easy. Some time they do not. Eventually they come. Enjoy reading your reflection on life past and present.
Thank you sir. Yes, life is full of pain. Some have more pain than others. Then, there are those that suffer without knowing they suffer. Putting those things that have caused pain into words is not a choice for me. I must. Thanks again for your thoughtful comments, I appreciate it very much.
One of the best poems I've ever read on this site I don't think we're ever prepared for our emotions and thoughts when someone close to us dies.Seeker you just got me thankyou
Thank you Chaz, your comment is very humbling for me. He and I were very close. I felt I owed him at least an effort to make some kind of statement or eulogy if you will. The poem started out as a sonnet but the more I wrote the more I wanted to write. Finally, I had to stop myself.
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