Notes About The Poem

styx and stones

(An old friend, married 44 years, passed - and I could only think of her and her husband.)

We knew one day this would happen
that one of us would decease.

As I am forever selfish,
I hoped it would be me.

When the end was very near,
I whispered in her ear,

“Stay close by the river Styx my dear, 
for I’ll be following on very soon,

our souls may not look like our bodies
but I’m certain I’ll know you,

I cherished every breath you took
even as older we both grew,

sharing every mortal struggle,
and every lover’s sigh,

I always wanted to look my very best
when I looked into your eyes.

So, stay close by the river Styx my dear, 
I’ll be following very soon

I could endure bitter hell itself
as long as I’m with you.”
.
.
A song for this:
I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face by James Taylor
Copyright © | Year Posted 2026

Poem

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Fallica Avatar
March 16, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Lovely / This speaks to me as I'm contemplating a eulogy for my brother. He's 86 and slowing down quite a bit lately. / <3
Vionet Avatar
March 18, 2026 at 7:33 AM
Errrr! I wrote a reply - where'd it go?! I hate eulogies - I suppose poetry is sometimes a 'summing up' but a eulogy for a brother could take hours -and it's so final - a week later you can't say, "Wait! I want to change a word!"
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