A Vacant Chair

The unexpected Loss

A vacant chair, an empty bed
The imprint on the pillow
Where you rested your head;

Everyday items, nothing new
Take on new meaning now
Because you will never return
And I have to live somehow.

A cup half-filled with coffee
You didn�t have an extra minute
You had to face the day,
Couldn�t wait to begin it.

I kissed you on the stair
Eyes open and so wide,
I loved you more each second
Just before you left my side

A flash of light, and broken glass
Debris scattered in the street
The shatter of the ringing phone,
My heart almost ceased to beat.

A vacant chair, an empty bed
Your towel still damp
My heart like lead.

Downstairs the family is mourning our great loss
But upstairs it�s just me,
Staring down
At the carpet,
Studying the imprint
Where your foot used to be.

Reviews

[Rain]

Omigod,
This piece is almost beyond words. I pray this is from a dream, or fiction, but the words are so powerful, the pain seems so real. It can't possibly be from your imagination. I'm stunned by the beauty of it, the little things noticed. I am so torn. I know how good a writer you are, and how you can make things real, that are not. All I can say is that it is the best piece of writing I've read here, and only pray it is not real. Rain..

[Deborah Leah Krempa]

"The shatter of the ringing phone"...brings back the phone call I received just a year ago when my son was killed by a drunk driver...this poem tears at my heart as i read over again ... i still sleep with his pillow and his blanket for comfort. Thank you for sharing, this tragicly yet beautifully written poem. Debileah

[paradoxical]

Wow...I think I teared up a little, especially at the ending. This is powerful yet beautifully sad. Thank you for posting.

[LSS]

Thank you again, Jayne. I agree with the other reviewers; this is a powerful poem and I cannot believe you are not a first hand witness. For that I am sorry. I've never had anyone close passing, though there are many others I have personally been involved with. I have been in the ministry for a while, and have been close to many who have an insight close to yours; the tragic loneliness that improves our senses, and brings our focus into clearer sharper view, while it also clouds our ability to see the rest of reality and life as still being important.
Lar

[Bhavya Kaushik]

Wow! What a brilliant piece of writing it is... So, powerful...
The flow is just awesome and great usage of language. Very deep and thoughtful it is. There is nothing like sudden death and the vacuum which it creates in our lives.
Very powerful piece of writing !!

[Carole]

I have been there...the heart like lead, the emptiness, the mourning....You pegged it all really well. Is this fiction? I know you write a lot of fiction even though you use real life experiences. There's nothing like a sudden death in the aspect of how it is handled. It hits you like a ton of bricks. I've never lost a spouse...it was my mother and tragically. Thank you for sharing...this is one many can relate to. :-)

[Emily B]

It leaves just as huge an impression as the last time I read it. It must be so hard to deal with that loss. So much that you can't deal with anything but the smallest imprint. Awesome, emotional write.

[Lorraine Pearson]

What an incredible piece expressing the loss of someone...the vacancy of a love--this write expressed so much, beyond the literary. I'm feeling such a loss. Beautiful, bittersweet write my friend.
~Lorraiyne

[James K. Blaylock]

Wow, this is such a heartfelt and sad read. We seem to never miss own loved ones, until alas it's too late. Powerful piece.

jkb

[Brenda Sue]

Being a widow, this piece hits home, too close actually. Very beautifully and wonderfully penned. Great job.