Part Of Me

(family tradition, wear pearls for a funeral of a loved one)

Between the sheen of purple drapes

two necklace trees stand on a cill,

by day and night like sentinels.

Through summer warmth and winter chill,

a clutch of lifetime memories.

Within their arms they clasp and hold,

the chunky pinks, the greens and golds,

assorted beads that gleam in sun.

Some worn in sadness some for fun,

but all reflect a part of me.

A few are new, though most are old.

there's cheerful there as well as bold

and pearls for tears my Nan would say.

Each day a choice for me to find

what mirrors well my state of mind.

They may have come steeped deep in love

or caught on impulse as I shopped.

Some dropped quite helpless in my hands,

enhancement for a dress I'd bought,

yet all reflect a part of me.

One day dear girl, I'll fail to breathe,

don't grieve for me when I take leave.

Instead I ask you wear the pearls,

a smile my love and wear them well

when you say your goodbyes to me

Reviews

[Ardra]

Wear the pearls and smile.... beautifully done Chris... our loved ones never want us to be sad when they part.... nor do we want our loved ones to be sad when we part from this world.... a journey well lived....then maybe we can go with a smile too.....a min. Closer to death every minute passing....maybe we need to live love forgive and learn it's just a pathway to another world....

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Ardra.

[butterfly]

Another beautiful poem. Different stories lie behind a string of pearls. I hope you wore them and smiled.

[Poetic Beauty]

It is amazing how certain objects hold emotions and attachment to them. I have two necklaces I never take off. One I have worn for three years one I’ve had on over one. I only take them off to detangle my hair from them

[Neville]

On this occasion, I struggled to find a page on which I have not yet left my stain .. but eventually found myself here .. where you demonstrate your poetic versatility by writing about what could have easily been a sombre topic but which in fact you crafted with so much care and made a dark and all too often taboo subject personable and otherwise shine brightly .. Neville

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much Neville for delving into my archives. I wrote this one five years ago for our Beth. Surprisingly for a goth, she quite likes the necklaces. A little but of history for her. Thank you my friend. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🍷🍷🍷

Chris

[Neville]

You are most welcome Chris .. Neville

[Coyote Poetry]

I liked the deep and the honest thoughts in the poetry dear Chris. I liked the wearing of the pearls. Death is always a hard thing to grasp. I liked the flow of thoughts leading to the strong ending. Thank you for sharing the amazing poetry and your thoughts.
Coyote

[Chris Shaw]

What a beautiful review Coyote. Thank you so much and I'm pleased you enjoyed reading this poem.
read moreWhat a beautiful review Coyote. Thank you so much and I'm pleased you enjoyed reading this poem.

Chris

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome Chris.

[‘Thoughts In Time..]

Beautiful- oh how I love pearls and have many- my father also said they bring tears- but tears are part of people’s personalities in how they treat eachother - not in the beauty of nature’s offspring- each pearl it’s unique in colour shape and full of much love warmth and beauty- love this- beautiful memories to treasure🌹

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Rose Petal and for the gift of a flower. Pearls have a great meaning for you and I am smiling and thank you for your lovely response.

Chris

[‘Thoughts In Time’🌹]

My pleasure always🌹

[Richard M]

I love this one Chris, it flows really well. Really enjoyed it!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Richard, your appreciation very welcome.

Chris

[Jimmy Yetts]

Stunning imagery; lovely, lingering sentiments.
Pure poetry, Chris!

[Chris Shaw]

Blushing...... thank you Jimmy : ))

[Wild Rose]

Love this Christine
We have bits of trinkets and several necklaces from her mum
One set of pearls in a red plush box; with a certificate to say they are fresh water pearls
Wife wears lots of the items (Brooches mainly) but not the pearls in the red box - a gift from so long age when she was a young serving maid; from a Prime Minister, who she spilled some soup over as she served and he moved - to show his sympathy for her being told off (No she wasn't sacked

[Chris Shaw]

What a lovely story you have told me here, but what a pity she doesn't wear the pearls Wild Rose.read moreWhat a lovely story you have told me here, but what a pity she doesn't wear the pearls Wild Rose.

Chris

[Wild Rose]

She say's they are too precious > she has her own > A silver crucifix from Caravaca de la Cruixe for our retirement; Ruby necklace in a gold setting for our Ruby wedding from Gibraltar - She wears those

[jacob erin-cilberto]

family heirlooms mean so much...this is touching...reminds me of the theme of a story I teach in my 102 class..."Everyday Use" by Alice Walker...

we pass on to those who follow and hope they appreciate the meaning of our lives and what we leave behind.

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks jacob. I'll take a look at "Everyday Use".

Chris