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.

[writing mojo]

such fragmented images to bring together the saddest tragedy with out breath: amazing stuff

[Deepak Bilwal]

lllllllllllll

[Suditi]

Such intensity. Wow. A beautifully written poem.
Really great work.

[EMF]

I am truly taken aback by the combination of love, power and pain that comes through in this. Beautifully written, with a raw energy that cannot be ignored. Thank you for this.

[BlueJay]

Hits me extremely close to home... It brought tears me to eyes as well... A lovely poem, and the way you expressed the emotion was superb! Your grandfather should be really, really proud of you!

[Coyote Poetry]

A very sad poem. To lose someone you cared for is always hard. I like the story and the how you ended this powerful poem. I believe the best thing we can do. Is remember the good people and follow their example. Thank you for sharing the excellent poem.
Coyote