Public Expressions of Private Pain
Sleep comes when it comes
And sometimes it doesn't come
No matter how tired you are
On a night that chills the bones
She lays uncovered
So I pull up the sheets and get a blanket
She stretches out and relaxes
Ready to be warm
Have you looked into the eyes
Of a dead person?
Not like the movies or tv
They had life, and now they don't
The eyes, it is said, are the windows of the soul
And when the body stops pulsing
The soul has left
Eyes that wouldn't shut in life
Closed forever in death
A mouth that remained slightly ajar
Now pulled shut, lips together
I put my hand on her chest
As she lay in the coffin
What did I feel?
The skin did not gain color
The chest did not move
My desire wavered
No, not my desire
She was never cold for the last month
That I looked on her with my eyes
And saw the beatiful soul living
In the bloated shell
It was a warm summer night
And she no longer needs
To be warmed up
Have you ever looked in a dead person's eyes?
copyright (C) 2012 christopher w neal all rights reserved
Comments
AUTHORJohn -
Thank you. It is difficult. I know she is with the Lord, but I cannot stop missing her. Bless you as well.
- AUTHOR
billybuc -
I think about them all the time, but the pain still comes when least expected. Thank you so much for reading and for your comment.
- AUTHOR
whonunuwho -
Thank you. I believe her soul is in Heaven but I miss her so badly. Thank you for your comments.
Chris, I have sat here for a while, and there is nothing I can say, except I pray you find inner peace and that The Lord blesses you.
John
Very deep poem, eliciting thoughts of the transcendental. Great job!
No matter the outer shell, the inner is the most beautiful and a part of all. I believe that the inner soul or spirit, leaves the bodily shell and joins others and moves toward the great light that we call heaven. Enjoyable work and thank you for sharing, this expression of the human kind.
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