I Was Not There

I was not there to hold her hand Or speak a gentle word So that her heart would understand I am the fruit of the sword I was not there when day's curtain Fell around her bed And those gathered were certain They saw the worms they dread. I was not there for the ritual dance Of the final days That sums up our life's significance As man and stage decays I was not there where mourners wait Around the fragile hour While the dressed carcas lies in state Undreaming the giver of power I was not there to cry myself to shreds And feel again the gentle hand That held me when a child. Time weds My grief to memories: alone I stand.