Home » Poems » Susan Ashley » His Golden Essence

His Golden Essence

The oyster shell grows old and gnarled but the p e a r l inside remains the same Susan Ashley March 22, 2021 (a monoku in non-traditional format) Poet’s note: this poem is dedicated to my beloved father, Albert, who will be 94 years old on April 27, 2021. Though he deals with a myriad of age-related health issues, it hasn’t tarnished his golden essence. His mortal heart and mind may be aged but his loving spirit is ageless. Updated note: my dad, Albert, a.k.a. pépé (French Canadian for grandpa), passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on June 10, 2021. He will forever be loved and missed by those of us he left behind.

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Fin Chuuk

Date: 2/6/2023 6:09:00 PM

Oh my, Susan, what a great line for your father. And my deepest condolences dear.

Susan Ashley
Date: 2/7/2023 4:45:00 PM

Dear Fin, thank you for your wonderful visit and lovely thoughts. Indeed, my father was a gem and beloved by family and friends. Your thoughtful words and kind condolences are heartwarming and treasured. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan

Line Gauthier

Date: 9/26/2022 9:52:00 PM

Beautiful. Loved your Author's Note. A lovely tribute ~

Susan Ashley
Date: 9/27/2022 5:58:00 AM

Thank you, for sharing in the emotions of this poem and author’s note with me, Line. Your gracious visit and heartwarming words are truly valued. Warmest wishes, my inspiring friend.. ~Susan

Ray Zottola

Date: 11/18/2021 5:07:00 PM

I still want that pearl to sparkle cause this shell is starting to crack. : ) Regards from Pittsburgh, Pa. Ray.

Susan Ashley
Date: 11/21/2021 1:29:00 PM

Dear friend, Ray from Pa., it's wonderful to see you. I believe that though the shell may crack, the pearl inside never loses the luster of its inner light. The flame is eternal. I am filled with gratitude for your visit, Ray, and will visit your poetry very soon. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan

Paghunda Zahid

Date: 9/24/2021 5:36:00 AM

Oh goodness... Loved it Susan

Susan Ashley
Date: 10/4/2021 7:47:00 AM

Dear Paghunda, thank you for your wonderful comment and gracious visit. Your response to my poem is heartwarming, my inspiring friend. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan

Brian Sambourne

Date: 6/27/2021 7:47:00 PM

Lovely. What a grand metaphor for the soul - a pearl that remains pristine inside. Like the inner essence of your father, the luminous pearl endures. Best wishes dear lady. Sincerely, Brian

Susan Ashley
Date: 7/12/2021 6:31:00 AM

Thank you, my wonderful friend, for expressing your appreciation for my poem with your heartwarming elegance. Your beautiful thoughts are deeply touching and are held in my truest gratitude. Golden poetry and friendship, like yours, Brian, are luminous pearls to be treasured as well. My apologies for the delay in my grateful response to your amazing comments. Warmest wishes, dear poet.. ~Susan

Funom Makama

Date: 4/27/2021 7:53:00 PM

Beautifully written with so much grace. Your lines are thick with craft and fascination. Great work.

Susan Ashley
Date: 5/6/2021 9:28:00 AM

Thank you, dear Funom, for the delight of your visit and for your inspiring comments. Please accept my apologies for my late reply, life has been very busy lately. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan

Jennifer Fenn

Date: 3/29/2021 5:35:00 PM

What a great birthday poem for your father! Before I read that footnote about him, I was thinking that this monoku well describes my mother and adopted grandmother and other elderly people in my life.

Susan Ashley
Date: 4/1/2021 5:56:00 PM

Dear Jennifer, I relish your beautiful response to my poem. I had a feeling that you cherished the elderly after reading your beautifully moving poem; "Walking In Butchart Gardens". Your inspiring heart shines, my friend. Thank you for your gracious visit and lovely comments. Warmest wishes, dear poetess.. ~Susan

Gordon Mcconnell

Date: 3/28/2021 11:54:00 AM

Such beauty told in so few words, simply astounding Susan, a lovely tribute to your dad , his birthday is Christine and my 31st wedding anniversary on the same date. Have a blessed day,Gordon

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/31/2021 9:02:00 AM

Dear Gordon, how wonderful it is to see you. Thank you for your lovely comments. That you share your wedding anniversary with my father's birthday is truly a sign of a great love. I relish knowing that, my friend. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan

Greg Gaul

Date: 3/28/2021 11:31:00 AM

What a lovely sentiment Susan to your father sighting this natural truth.

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/31/2021 8:53:00 AM

Dear Greg, it is always such a pleasure to see your grand presence on my poem's page. Thank you for your beautiful comments and for sharing in the emotions of this piece with me. Warmest wishes, my wonderful friend.. ~Susan

Jennifer Proxenos

Date: 3/28/2021 5:55:00 AM

Inside every adult lives a child, which can be brought out creatively, lovingly or spiritually - I am so pleased your Dad is 94, my father would have been the same age, but he died of cancer in his mid sixties. Both my parents died at home in their own beds, but unfortunately, by the same token it was difficult to watch them deteriorating day by day, my mum passed on 23 years later, she never re-married. Brilliant Monoku Sue. Hope you got my soup mail . Blessings and hugs, Jennifer.

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/31/2021 8:48:00 AM

My dear poetry sister, I relish your visit to this poem. Thank you for sharing in the wonders of this personal poem with me and for your personal story too, the depths of which touch my heart truly. I am so very grateful to be blessed with a wonderful Dad. I am also blessed to share a cherished poetic fellowship and sisterhood with you, dear Jennifer. Thank you for your insightful and inspiring comments. Warmest wishes, love and hugs to you, my lovely sister.. ~Susan

Sara Kendrick

Date: 3/27/2021 9:25:00 AM

Those great qualities will be carried on to his heavenly home as well. I know you love and respect him. My adoptive parents lived to be almost 97 and my mother's sister lived to be a little over 98. A few live to be over one-hundred now so you could possibly have him for many more years here on earth for you to see and hold. Thanks for your visit to my page. I really like the poem's comparison to his qualities. Sara

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/31/2021 8:51:00 AM

Dear Sara, thank you for your beautiful comments and for sharing your personal story with me as well. Longevity can be a wondrous thing if one is blessed with good health. Your gracious and lovely presence is truly appreciated. Warmest wishes, dear poetess.. ~Susan

Judy Ball

Date: 3/27/2021 8:17:00 AM

Absolutley beautiful. A wonderful tribute to your father. Love this. A fave. God Bless, JB

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/27/2021 8:01:00 PM

Dear Judy, it's so wonderful to see you. Thank you for embracing my poem. Your beautiful comments and your fave lift my heart to the heavens, my friend, both are so wonderful to receive. Warmest wishes and hugs to you, sweet poetess.. ~Susan

Gershon Wolf

Date: 3/26/2021 2:51:00 PM

Nice dedication. May the outer shell heal and glow again to reflect the inner pearl! Light and Love, Gershon

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/26/2021 6:47:00 PM

Dear Gershon, what a beautiful comment, I wish it could come true. Wouldn't it be nice if the aged could become young again, like in that 80's movie "Cocoon"..? Hmmm, I wonder if I'd jump in the pool? Ah hell, who am I kidding, of course I would! :)) Thank you, my friend, for your inspiring thoughts. Warmest wishes always.. ~Susan

Line Gauthier

Date: 3/25/2021 9:25:00 PM

Lovely, Susan ~

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/26/2021 7:51:00 AM

Thank you, Line for your gracious visit and wonderful comment. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan

Andrea Dietrich

Date: 3/24/2021 5:10:00 PM

very very nice!! and what a cool dedication

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/26/2021 7:49:00 AM

Thank you, Andrea for your gracious comments and visit. I'm pleased you enjoyed my poem/dedication. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan

Brenda Chiri

Date: 3/24/2021 4:37:00 PM

Ahhhh sissy I am back! Made me feel good to know I was missed! But see I couldn’t let you all do without me that long!;) I have missed my sane sissy sooooo much! And trust and believe I am even more insane then ever! Lmao! Well as insane as one can get without ring vomited!lmao! Brilliant writing dear sissy like only you can do!;)

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/24/2021 4:58:00 PM

OMG! I'm am so happy to see you my insane sissy! I have missed you truly, my crazy girl! I was MIA from here for about 3-4 months with all kinds of stuff going on. Seems like we were both MIA at the same time. I just came back to PS about 1 1/2 weeks ago, so I'm still getting caught up.. I can't even fathom you being more insane than ever! LOL!! But I love it! The tree house must have been real quiet while we were both gone. Bet the gimpy butler just partied with the Unicorns day and night lol!! Thank you for your awesomeness, my dear sissy <3

Jcb Brul

Date: 3/24/2021 4:27:00 PM

Oh, so beautiful!!!!! Such a powerful poem in just few words...Its like a bomb of a poem. A FAVE!!

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/24/2021 5:25:00 PM

My dear friend and lovely poetess, I relish your amazing comments. Thank you, JCB, for sharing your precious thoughts with me and for sharing in the emotions of this poem. I'm so pleased that you felt so much in just a few words. Your potent words lift my spirit to beyond the clouds, as does the honor of your fave. Warmest wishes, sweet lady.. ~Susan

Carolyn Devonshire

Date: 3/24/2021 1:58:00 PM

What an insightful poem for your father, Susan. I hope he has a wonderful birthday. How true that our bodies age, but we are the same inside. Beautiful writing! Hugs, Carolyn

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/24/2021 5:19:00 PM

Dear Carolyn, it is always so wonderful when your esteemed presence graces my poem. Thank you for your wonderful comments and birthday wishes for my father. Indeed, your insight into aging is a phenomenon we do seem to experience as we get older.. Warmest wishes and hugs, sweet friend.. ~Susan

Robert Lindley

Date: 3/23/2021 5:49:00 PM

What a wonderful and exceptional tribute you have composed for your dear father my friend! May his 94th birthday be bountifully blessed by God with his beloved family at his side and celebrating the life, love and longevity of a beloved and wonderful soul. The pearl and the life so cherished both gleam with Love and Beauty! A fav.. God bless...

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/24/2021 5:03:00 PM

My dear friend, I knew that you would truly appreciate the sentiments in my poem. We are indeed blessed to still have our father in our lives. He's still such a big influence on us all. Thank you, Robert, for your beautiful comments and for your wonderful birthday wishes for my dad. Your words deeply touch my heart, as does the honor of your fav. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan

Carol Louise Moon

Date: 3/23/2021 4:41:00 PM

Susan, this is a wonderful tribute to your father. There is depth in its simplicity. And the pearl--resilience beyond the irritants in all of life.

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/23/2021 7:08:00 PM

Ah, Carol, your beautiful comments capture the very essence of my father.. indeed, he is resilient "beyond the irritants in all of life." That is a quality that I've always greatly admired in him and he has taught me how to grow older with grace and "resilience". Thank you for sharing your precious thoughts with me, dear poetess.. ~Susan

Regina Mcintosh

Date: 3/23/2021 6:25:00 AM

Beautiful and brilliant. love it. God bless you always, Love, Gina

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/23/2021 7:02:00 PM

Dear Gina, thank you for embracing my poem. Your beautiful comments lift my heart to the heavens, my friend. Warmest wishes and hugs to you, sweet poetess.. ~Susan

Michelle Faulkner

Date: 3/22/2021 8:59:00 PM

He sounds like the epitome of the 'pearl of wisdom', hoping your much loved father has an amazing 94th birthday~

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/23/2021 6:51:00 PM

My dear friend, Michelle, thank you the wonderful touch of your kind words and for the lovely birthday wishes for my father. He is blessed to possess pearls of wisdom, though the younger me didn't always heed them.. but that's another poem - or poems - for another day, haha! Warmest wishes.. ~Susan

J. Summers

Date: 3/22/2021 7:47:00 PM

Susan, you have said so much with very few words. So beautifully expressed. John

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/22/2021 8:07:00 PM

John, your warm presence is felt through the embracing kindness of your words. Thank you for sharing in this poem with me, the beauty of your comments gladden my heart. My father has always been my shining inspiration and loving mentor in life. He is at the center of our ever expanding family. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan

Beryl Edmonds

Date: 3/22/2021 7:45:00 PM

That’s so lovey Susan, a wonderful tribute to your loving father ~ Belle

Susan Ashley
Date: 3/22/2021 7:59:00 PM

Belle, your wonderful words are elating. My father is cherished by his three children, his ten grandchildren and his nine great-grandchildren. He is the center of our family. Thank you for sharing your lovely thoughts with me. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan