Almost Stranger

An almost-stranger
called me to the hospital
And I rode with my family
Nearer-knowing the reality
than I thought.
I walked through old familiar halls,
Remembering a bout with pneumonia and
Family brushes with car wrecks and cancer.
And then I found my mother--
Weeping,
Tissue box in hand.
“He’s gone,” she said.
And I looked around for my children
And wondered how they would be
Affected by the news.
We sat
And waited
for God only knows what.
And the coroner came and took us in a room
To see him,
that grey, husk of a man.
How could they say that he--
that cold man
Is my father?
I shed a tear or two
And made decisions
Right and wrong
Dreading the day when I would grieve.
Days and weeks passed,
Years came and went,
And I,
Was left to wonder
How you can miss someone
You never had . . .

Reviews

[Deuces]

The last line delivers the fiercest punch, as you describe all in one shot. Lines like "almost stranger" leave the reader in suspense until the very end, when it is realized that the raw truth is that the relationship is not as close as the writer would have hoped. This is extremely honest, painfully naked in thought and beautifully written. Takes a lot of guts to reveal these emotions and write well simultaneously.

[icelandicblue]

The graphic nature of the ordeal in mind and body adds a tremendous amount of power to your words. I felt like I was walking those corridors with you. The is excellent stuff Emily; it's raw, real and memorable.

[Emily B]

thank you

[EMF]

Poinent, sad and sincere. A true work of personal and public art. Breathtaking work Emily. Truly breathtaking

[...]

. oh ... my heart skipped a beat when i reached the end ... the love and the loss in these words are both so inexplicable ... yet almost tangible ... to be this aware of the depth of life and emotion ... to be this sensitive ... must be painful ... and yet ... empowering too ... maybe the power to feel that unconditional love you feel is everything ... and that's what makes life beautiful and loss meaningful ... and love ... as precious as it is ... maybe ...

[The Analog Kid]

Hard-hitting and reflective.

[Alessander]

I really like the idea of an "almost-stranger" as there are many people in our lives who probably fit into that mold. Sometimes, an almost-stranger can be a family member who is always somewhat mysterious or in the peripheral, or once there, but then absent.

I think the part about the children was esp touching, because even in the middle of grief, the person worries outwardly about the children, and I always find that a fascinating subject - how Death affects children. I've seen children at funerals, and they almost never weep.

[emmajoy]

Firstly this is beautifully written, it's not melodramatic in its sadness, it's not insincere cant but facts mingling with post-death thought. Secondly, I wonder if, having been written in 2008, you now look back on it as being somehow cathartic.

Poems like this are true tragedies .. how can you miss someone you never have, indeed.

[Siddhartha]

Pain mingled with a wounded heart is a dangerous potion. This bubbles with torrid emotion bursting from a heart that had set itself in stone.

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

A tense and riveting prose, that shocks the reader for all the right reasons, tender and emotional with great imagery, a good read, well done,

[fargone]

this is powerful, emily. the subject is obviously emotional and u have captured the almost hopeless "what now" feeling. and the final question is the kicker. a wonderful piece and possibly the best of urs that i've seen.