Someone Else's Winter

Why I had a sudden urge
to place a single rose
upon an unkempt grave
of a soul I didn't know,
came as a surprise
even to me.

So strong that tug on
heart strings as I passed by,
I had to stifle a cry
before moving on.

Though not before I left
behind, a part of me
in the shade of a grieving tree
and before I choked
on my own sadness.

Reviews

[Lydia Shutter]

The depth of emotion in this write is stunning! I have to say that when I visit the graves of loved ones, I often stop at a random stone....one that looks unvisited.....and wonder what sort of life that person had. Who did they leave behind and why is no one ever here to remember? You are such a compassionate soul, Chris. A beauty of a write. Lydi**

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Lydi**, your review is lovely. You do what I do. Ponder on the dead as we pass through. Trying to fathom what their lives may have been like and remembering that in time we all pass. In the overall picture of things we are like dust motes in an ocean sky. All good wishes.

Chris

[Elizabeth R Prichard]

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[barleygirl]

Every word of this is so fresh, vivid, heartfelt, & dumbfounded . . . you capture the wonderment of being compelled to do something inexplicable. Your words also resonate how there are many connections between souls that science has not been able to define or measure! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Chris Shaw]

Margie thank you for your lovely review. Who knows why we do what we do or why we feel for people we have never known.

Chris

[Robert Trakofler]

I love to walk through graveyards If I am out picking for antiques I will stop at old church graveyards and explore them often. Much like a found piece of art or a bauble from a second hand store they have a resonance to them... Im mentioning this cause yesterday I was out looking for more antiques for my store and I did just that:) every once in a while I see a headstone and it whispers to me and i look at it but more feel it... seems this happens to you too so I am not alone in my craziness:) this happens with objects I find for my store too something just sparks and I have to have it sometimes i use it for making something else and sometimes the dreaded it must come home with me happens but it always speaks to me. love this story Chris keep those eyes and heart wide open sometimes someone else's winter becomes your spring!

[Chris Shaw]

Bunny I am so pleased to hear we both share some graveyard craziness lol. Thank you for sharing about you here and for leaving such a lovely review. All good wishes.

Chris

[Beccy]

Grandma and grandpa are buried next to each other. Like Lydia, and probably like a lot of people, I often look at other graves, the monuments of loved ones passing.

A lovely poem, chock full of empathy and human kindness.

Beccy.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Beccy for your encouragement. Most appreciated. All good wishes.

Chris

[Betty Hermelee]

Beautiful write! Shows so much compassion. Love your choice of words, “ I choked on my own sadness”

[Chris Shaw]

Lovy review from you Betty. Thank you so much.

Chris

[Shoshana]

This write you have created is so unique and emotional. Beautiful poem Christine! Well done!
-Shoshana

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Shoshana, I appreciate your encouraging review. All good things.

Chris

[Davidgeo]

Even in the empty earth....

[J. J. Nightingale]

Wow... sometime we are compelled to visit and pay respect, to strangers...I have done it myself.. Your BIG heart is showing !!... Wonderful Write..


Jazzy

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Jazzy. I appreciate your thoughts and your visit. Yes I feel that compulsion too. All good wishes.

Chris

[J. J. Nightingale]

You are welcome Chris.....

[Edie Blue Starfish]

those of us with big hearts cannot help but be curious about the lives of others and what circumstances may have led to their end. I have often stopped at grave markers and been moved by the inscriptions and curious about those who passed too early

a beautiful and very moving poem, Chris

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Edie. I too find grave yards fascinating and often ponder on the lives of those who have moved on. All good wishes.

Chris

[Rhayne]

It amazes me how you always seem to strike up my memories. When I was a very young girl, my Dad used to take me to the cemetery with him every Sunday to put flowers on my grandparent's graves. Afterward, he would take my hand and we would walk around in the old section where the civil war soldiers were buried. Then we would play this game, "How old was he". I didn't realize it at the time, but what he was really doing was helping me with my math. I was always bad at math. I had to figure their ages in my head. Some of the dates were so worn on the stones that he showed me how to trace them on paper to see them better. I always wondered why he had a note pad so readily available, lol. By the time I was in the fifth grade, I was making A's in Math and that made him very proud and me very happy. I used to wonder how many of those poor souls might have been standing over my shoulder, watching and maybe even helping me to 'do the math'. I remember how old and crooked the stones were. Some were sunken into the ground. There was one, and I don't know why, but it seemed to beckon me. I still remember his name, Jonathan Black. He was a Pvt. and was only 18 when he was killed. I used to put a single flower from the bunch that my Dad put on his Mom's grave, on his grave. I was well into my teens when I stopped. I had a boyfriend that laughed at me over it. He wasn't my boyfriend very long after that. Have to tell you, it made me wonder, lol.

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Rhayne, it delights me that my poems are the trigger for so many of your memories. That pleases me no end. Your Dad taught you far more than maths when you visited the graveyard, he also taught you compassion and empathy. I love your recollections on Jonathan Black. We share similarities in thought. So good to have you visit Rhayne. Big thanks winging their way across the pond.

Chris

Chrus

[Gee]

A kind act from a kind and caring soul.
By the way, why are you hanging around graveyards ???
Hi Christine, hope all is well in damp Berks

[Chris Shaw]

Hi Gee. Currently in Brixham and it's sunny. Graveyard visit with my granddaughter. Visit to remember her Dad. I don't nirmly longer there. Hope all is good with you. Thanks for checking in.

Chris