O' Death I Feel Your Sting!

The grieving is agonizing when one dies...........

Author's Note

O’ Death I Feel Your Sting!

The grieving is agonizing when one dies.
It smacks hard with reality.
Emotions are rubbed raw and many tears fall,
As friends and family now gather
To pay respect and say a final goodbye.

This I can avow as you slumber in death.
The loss of you rips my psyche.
I sob. My arms are empty, my lips are cold.
Your love has been taken from me.
Lamentations invade my night-time prayers.

The sting of being apart makes my heart cry,
As a core part of me has died.
The time of togetherness, and love we shared,
Our unity as a couple
Has ended, and I am fearful and lonely.

I miss you with every breath of life I take.
Familiar is unfamiliar.
I go through the rote motions of existence,
But they have such little meaning,
Except for the memory of times as us!

I hunger to be with you once more My Love,
Yet I know death has ended this.
What kind remedy may assuage my grieving?
Only, the thought of who “we were”
May give way to who I now am without you!

Sheila Bowyer Kline

Reviews

[barleygirl]

Your message of missing a beloved is told with much intensity & vivid dynamic feelings. I love the way you've made these heart stabbing sensations so real & so palpable. The narrator is clearly inconsolable & I can feel a sense of pure agony. Even tho it's a bad experience, your poem seems like a celebration of the depth of how it feels.

[Sheila Kline]

Death is such a complicated subject; the pain is intense for the one left behind, but so often a blessing for one who suffers. My husband of 19 years died of lung cancer in 2009, and there are those days when his presence seems to be everywhere, and yet he is in reality so far away! This poem was inspired by the loss of so many who have been a vital part of my life. I can't bring them back, but I shall always remember them! Today is the 31 year anniversary of the tragic death of my 16 year old son, and I still feel the sting of his death.
I thank you for reviewing this poem for even though it is one of lovers, it is also a tribute to the memory of my precious Chris! His life was indeed a celebration for me!!
Hugs to you!!!

[barleygirl]

Thanks for sharing the genesis of your message . . . I'm sorry to hear you've had these deep & painful experiences of loss in your life. The deaths I've known are mostly pets & it's often after spending a year watching the beloved fade away & suffer, so I know what you mean about the end being a mixed blessing. It's hard for me to push thoughts of that last agonizing year out of my head & finally I can focus on the good memories. I still feel the presence of those I've lost, as if they're angels following me around & keeping in touch! (((HUGS))) Thanks for sharing, sweet friend . . .

[R J Askew]

Very moving. Life is hard at times. Perhaps the only way not to feel that sting is never to have something worth losing. But that is no way to be. So those who remain suffer. Not easy. Sigh. But those who have passed would want us to recall the good times and smile as this keeps them alive. Ach, still not the same as having them there though. *bows*

[Sheila Kline]

It's so good to hear from you my friend! Yes, we must remember them with love and move on as we are able....I think that's what they would want! It's hard to believe that Barry has been gone for 8 years now!
Cheers to you and yours!!

[Ted Kniffen]

It is never easy losing a loved one, but to lose a spouse is definitely heart breaking. This was a very emotional letter to a loved one and wonderfully written.

[Sheila Kline]

Thank you Ted! Loss shall ever be with us; the pain of it joins hand in hand with tears that fill its space.

[Valentine]

Sad but very emotional write. This reflects my thoughts since losing my husband. Never to hear their voice, it is just too much to bear. Valentine

[Sheila Kline]

Thank you Kathie! There are those days when it seems as if the grief of death is all encompassing. It is only by the grace of God that we meet another day during times as this!