And So It Is

sun shines

regardless of 

grief

each one of us

a leaf waving

on a deciduous tree

not quite 

knowing when our

goodbye will arrive

fleeting

like a rain cloud

passing through

fragile

as a white winged

butterfly

though some

wield a sledge hammer

strike a mighty blow

can change

a river's flow

in waters of history

Reviews

[Neville]

maybe it's just as well we don't know when that moment will arrive .. at least most of us don't .. here though, you have not only reminded us of our own mortality, indeed of all things both animate and inanimate, but you have most importantly captured the very essence of life's fragility .. the fleeting and transitory nature of it ............ having got that off my chest, I must also say it's an honour to be #75 on your impressive list of reviewers .. an amazing achievement and most worthy .. Neville

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you for that lovely review Neville. Pleased you left your mark on this page. It means a lot.read moreThank you for that lovely review Neville. Pleased you left your mark on this page. It means a lot.

Chris

[Dhara_Ditzy Kat]

Al of us are just passing through. Some making a greater mark than others yet all of us are so fleeting, all the same. As is written in the great book, we are just flowers in a field. The wind blows us away and our place knows us no more. This is a very special poem for us all.

[Chris Shaw]

Greetings Ditzy, my very favourite Internet cat. Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. You are so appreciated and I have left you some dreamies. Not too many though, don't want you to be a fat cat :))

Chris

[Dhara_Ditzy Kat]

I just love being around you, sweet Chris.
Reading your beautiful poetry is just an added bonus.
You are always welcome, my friend!

[Chris Shaw]

:))......................

[jacob erin-cilberto]

and actually the sun was shining brightly, yesterday, as well. i think there was a reason for that.

[Chris Shaw]

Maybe he is at peace and it was appropriate for the sun to shine. I think that was most fitting. The sun or lack of it is the first thing I notice on waking each morning. I love the window in my sloping roof which allows me access to the heavens.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

wow, Chris...could have read this one yesterday...would have been so appropriate to the celebration...
Bryan was that....a butterfly who could wield a sledgehammer...
and he changed the history for many, as several stated.
love this...and how universal it is as it allowed me to relate so personally...
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Jacob, I am so pleased you related well to this poem because you were in my thoughts as I wrote it. I knew you would be going to Bryan's memorial celebration. Also two work colleagues have departed recently, so I was sad about them. Always appreciate you.

Chris

[Eilis]

The last three stanzas of this, in particular, have quite stunning imagery. The movement created by the butterfly and then the shiver/switch of the hammer on water. There is no telling if the moment that shakes our universe will come in gently or ferociously. But it will come. I think you expressed that beautifully here, Chris.

The perpetuity of sun shining is one of those images that it is difficult to shake when we are hurting. I love the way you begin with that as your jumping off point for exploration and then feather out from there. The leaf waiting for its moment to let go is an apt symbol as well. Indeed each one falls independently, but they all fall.

I saw an oak tree yesterday with the brown leaves still attached. Those long hangers won't be shed until the new leaves push them out. In the meantime, they are jostled by the wind and clap on the high branches as if rejoicing in their own longevity and good fortune. Your poem just reminded me of that, and it seems to connect perfectly to your idea here.

I really enjoyed this poem, Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Eilis, I so enjoyed reading your thoughts about my poem. It is always of such interest to find out where my readers wander. I appreciate you and the interest you show in my efforts. Your reviews are welcome and show such grace of spirit. Thank you.

Chris

[Eilis]

You are very welcome, Chris.

[Poetic Beauty]

The thought as to not knowing when our time on earth will end is done wonderfully in this poem. The idea of each person a leaf on a tree is a great comparison and allows of creative imagery to be pictured within the mind.

While we are all delicate in the fact none of use know when but some of us have made history or swing a sledge hammer allows us to see that no matter how famous or insignificant a person might seems we are all equal in the fact that our time will come