Forever Summer

(Remembering Jen. First Anniversary. The skies lit up that night, 5th November, in a blaze of fireworks. She did it her way)

her infectious smile greets me daily

beaming on my mahogany mantle

where she is free from death's dust

amid a flurry of forget me nots

that match her pale blue eyes

whose sparkle is forever summer

the melancholy of autumn days

followed by winter's wicked freeze

will not diminish her radiance

she of that lucent capacity

could lighten a darkened room,

gloom dissipated in her presence

it lifted like mist concealing a lake

taken away by a bold burnished sun

Jen my dearest childhood friend

remembering you always,

life goes on, though the song of you

remains strong and unforgettable

Reviews

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Chris... a year has passed... and still your poem
resonates in our heart. My Mom passed in December
about forty-two years ago. Her radiant smile still warms me
when I see her photo on our Mantel above a crackling fire.
Your poem dedicated to your friend is a legacy of gentle grace.
tenderly, Pat

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Pat, thank you for bringing Jen back to me this morning. So pleased this poem also reminds you of your own mother's radiant smile. That really pleases me. Sending love across the waves.

Chris

[Dave]

What a lovely way to remember a friend from long ago. The two of you must have been truly close. True friends are so difficult to find and even more difficult to lose.

Take care - Dave

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Dave. Yes a very old friend and she is sadly missed. Appreciate your thoughts here.

Chris

[Dave]

Sadly to say - I know whereof you write.
Take care - Dave

[Chris Shaw]

And you too my friend.

[An owl on the moon]

This is beautiful, moving remembrance Chris. What a treasured friend to still sing over you, to write this song of summer over us all now. Wondrous... and it seems she was so much more... and still is.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much Craig for your thoughtful words. Much appreciated.

Chris

[Derekv]

Excellent piece, Chris. This is a beautiful tribute to what must have been a very dear friend; I am sorry for your loss, and wish you all the best.

-Derekv

[Chris Shaw]

Your thoughts Derek much appreciated. Thank you so much for your visit. All good wishes.

read moreYour thoughts Derek much appreciated. Thank you so much for your visit. All good wishes.

Chris

[Relic]

Two friends of mine committed suicide a couple of years ago and I think about them often, trying to understand what they were thinking. I also wonder if either one thought about me any time before they died. I don't think you forget close friends like that whether they die by their own hand or by sickness.

[Chris Shaw]

I am sorry for your loss Tim. In some ways the suicide thing is far worse. The shock of that must have been unbearable. At least with Jen there was time to prepare and make sure her last days were as comfortable as possible. Thank you for your visit.

Chris

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Read this today and thought of you, your poem, and Jen:

Don’t think of her as gone away,
Her journey’s just begun.
Life holds so many facets,
this earth is only one.

Just think of her as resting,
from the sorrows and the tears.
In a place of warmth and comfort,
where there are no days and years.

Think how she must be wishing
that we could know today,
How nothing but our sadness
can really pass away

and think of her as living
in the hearts of those she touched,
for nothing loved is ever lost
and she was loved so much.

E. Brenneman

[Chris Shaw]

Such a beautiful poem Linda. I thank you so much for your kind thoughts. Truly appreciated. I have never come across that one before.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this is such a beautiful, touching tribute...
She would be smiling....
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Jacob. She would indeed. She asked me to write a poem for her and to read it out at her funeral. She said she knew it was a hard ask, but she really wanted me to do it. I was honoured she asked me. I have never posted that one anywhere else.

Chris

[wordman]

loss of a friend or family is devastating ,but you painted a lovely image of a big smile and blue eyes
someone that lights up a room

sorry for your loss

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Ron for your thoughts. Much appreciated.

Chris

[wordman]

you`re welcome

[DIVYA]

Oh Chris...the first verse itself touched me so...Your love for her is so palpable and her memories still so fragrant, so fresh. You bring your friend back to life with your beautiful, heartfelt words. Where do these amazing people in our lives go away...? There must be a place of infinite beauty, of eternal spring and flowers in bloom where they live. I'm truly touched.

[Chris Shaw]

She was a very special person DIVYA and I consider it so fortunate that I had her as a friend. So appreciate your kind thoughts.

Chris

[DIVYA]

You are always welcome, my friend.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you :))

[Einstein Noodle]

oh my goodness Chris ... such a touching remembrance of your good friend .. how precious they are .. and few :( strange ... last week an old school friend and husband... still with me .. were remembering those who have passed ... way too young actually ... several that did not make it to their 30s :( ... we remember them tho ... and keep their short lives meaningful in doing it ... Jen must be very special ... and i am sorry for the loss you feel ... your poem is so real i hardly paid any attention to poetic tooling ... the story and intimacy say it all

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Mr E, thank you so much. She was special. A friend for many, many years. Shared much together. She was beautiful inside and out and her loss is deeply felt. Many thank a for your lovely review. Take care my friend.

Chris

[Einstein Noodle]

(((((((((((((((((C)))))))))))))))))))))))

[Lorry]

Proof to me that we are more than flesh and bone and touching someones life in such a positive way means we will forever live on in their hearts, in the changes we see and the comfort of those reminders of them, that flit into our thoughts as we pass a place forever remembered as where we laughed together, smiled and cried.
The reminders of them are everywhere, as if they have moved from mortality to the ether, becoming a comforting cocoon of rememberance.
I remember my dad every time im in the dairy aisle. One of our last conversations was that he tried cornflakes in hospital for the first time at the age of 66, the age he died. I asked him what he thought and his answer still makes me laugh " okay, but i dint like that semi skilled milk they give you here."
Semi skilled milk is how it remains. Both him and mum done that. It was their inside joke that they didnt care if people thought they were daft, it made them smile. I definitely got that gene from them.
Which reminds me, i think ill have a nice, crisp side saddle for lunch 😀
A beautiful memory of a loved one sadly gone Chris. We can only hope we are remembered so fondly.
You will definitely, and me... Well, the lady who runs the sweet shop will at least notice, when her profits plunge 😀

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Lorry, thank you for your lovely review and sharing with me about your Dad, his first bowl of cornflakes and the semi skimmed milk. That was wonderful to read. I think you and me both will be missed by the lady in the sweet shop :))

Chris

[Lorry]

Ill massively reduce the sugar tax when im gone 😀
Ps... Wc is playing funny burgers again, your reple just popped up, despite it saying you replied two days sgo??? &?