Needs Repair

My grandfather, Aaron Shapiro, used to carry my poetry with him in his pockets wherever he went. The night he died, I thought I would never write again.

The sound of his voice tipped me off

That something in the universe had broken.

As reality shattered

Scattering sharp shards in every direction

One of them nicked my father's vocal chords

Because my father

The public speaker

The university professor

The speech and debate national champion

His voice 

cracked.

"I'm so so--cough--rry.

My love, he didn't make it."

Then

Another crack

Plastic striking linoleum

Broken batteries and buttons

My head and my heart

Hitting the cold hard floor.

Reviews

[Alessander]

"Scattering sharp shards in every direction
One of them nicked my father's vocal chords"

I really thought this hit home. The allusion to a terrorist bomb and its traumatic lasting memories is very effective in conveying the horror and sadness of the death.

Hope my poem "Elders" didn't bring back too many bad memories!

You end it well too. "Plastic striking linoleum" makes me think that there's something that becomes artificial in us when a loved one dies, if just for that split second.

[A. Amos]

Nicely written and I truly felt every word, thanks for sharing..

[Suze]

What a wonderful, heartfelt description of how earth shattering the death of a loved one really is. Something in our universe does break with loss, and it takes time to put the pieces back together. I'm glad you did write again!!

[Kaa Na Kalyanasundaram]

The feelings exhibited in this poem has been well mentioned. Thank you for your sharing. A good write. With wishes.

[Siddhartha]

The pain here is intense. One of those moments when there seems to be no redemption in this cold, cruel universe. A deeply personal poem this. Thanks for sharing.

[Alpris]

Oh... wow....
I absolutely loved this, enjoyed reading it to the very last word. I had to read it twice, it was that good. I loved the title linked with the "As reality shattered
Scattering sharp shards in every direction" and his voice crackling. You kept the message alive, with beautifully constructed and chosen words. Well done, gorgeous :)

[Devons]

Descriptive and illustrative, with a precise and evocative choice of language which is very effective. The devastation and destruction of a personal moment in tragedy is clinically conveyed in this poem. An imaginative and effective piece of writing.

[Kaylor Mason]

I guess I sorta live under a rock . . . What bombing is everyone talking about in these reviews?

[Leslie Philibert]

A really fine piece of writing, well observed with a high degree of emotional power,and what I think is very well done is that although it is autobiographical it is not obscure, but transports a moral message that is universal. Like especially the vocative quote, and the whole tempo. Good literature.

[Tim]

You brought a tragic event to life and we all feel the shock from your choice of words. A riveting and very sad piece.