The Queen Size Bed

“The Queen-Sized Bed”.
			 © London F. Buss

  A queen-size bed was coming slowly,
  down the rough dirt track.
  As it drew closer,
  The wheels clumsily mounted on the base of each leg,
  rattled like a hospital gurney on the stones.
  The bed was being pushed slowly, 
  ever so, carefully.
  By a weary old man in tattered clothes and worn-out shoes.
  as he drew closer, and closer,
  I saw that he was pushing his dying wife who was,
  lying in a dressing gown under the covers,
  in the Queen-Sized Bed.
  He pushed carefully trying not to shake the bed,  
  excessively.

  His wife's head was supported by four pillows,
  she had wispy strings of silver white hair.
  She was dying.
  Several I.V. Bottles dangled off a hook,
  And dripped painkillers into her arm.
  She was awake but barely conscious,
  I wondered where they were going,
  but in my heart, I knew...
  privacy for an hour,
  I came back as the sun was setting.
  I found them together sitting on the bed,
  Looking over the ocean.
  The old man was holding his dying wife,
  in his arms… stroking her silver hair under the sparkling,
  southern cross.
  They were sharing her last sunset as,
  the dying embers of a fiery sun faded into the ocean.

  Night fell and I walked home alone,
  I had witnessed love real love,
  something I had never experienced,
  something I had never known.
  If you’re near Cowell and you look hard enough,
  You may just find the queen-size bed,
  with a tattered mattress and exposed springs,
  quietly rusting away outside a decrepit ruin of a barn.
  Take a closer look at the legs and you will find four rusting,
  gurney wheels.
  and if you approach quietly on a moonlit night,
  you will hear soft sobbing in the whistling wind,
  as it dreams of that dying sunset,
  under the southern cross...
  and the milky way lights up the sky,
  soaring into the heavens 
  as the angels sing.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2023



Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Date: 3/27/2025 7:49:00 PM
Nice imagery in these words ??
Login to Reply
Date: 3/26/2025 9:32:00 PM
So moving. Lovely love story.
Login to Reply
Date: 3/26/2025 11:13:00 AM
Hello London F. Buss, it is so nice to meet you. I just finished reading this poem. the ending is very sad. Enjoy your day my friend. /Darlene/
Login to Reply
Date: 3/26/2025 10:41:00 AM
What a beautiful love story! Great work!
Login to Reply
Date: 3/26/2025 10:35:00 AM
Just wow. I'm without words right now. The ability to create such a vivid storyline throughout!! Bravo I can only hope to become as creative and well versed ?? thank you for sharing
Login to Reply
Date: 3/26/2025 9:14:00 AM
Hey London, your poem brought tears to my eyes that I believe have witnessed true love through your own. This poem is so beautifully heartbreaking. Faved. Be Blessed always, Hiba.
Login to Reply
Date: 5/14/2023 11:49:00 AM
you are a natural story teller London, i was so moved by your story especially the final stanza, exceptional poetry indeed:-) Making this a fave:-) hugs Jan xx
Login to Reply
Buss Avatar
London F. Buss
Date: 5/19/2023 7:35:00 PM
Thanks Jan, I saw this in 2009, at a place called Cowell South Australia.. It was an amazing site. I'm happy that you liked this story.
Date: 3/12/2023 6:52:00 PM
London,like you, am also a novice a Poetry, however no reason for you to stick to only pietry.to stick to poetry. I know poets who write poetry, short stories and novels at another site I get tired of meaningless, banal poetry. You have deep passion, far beyond playing with words.. I envy your talent, Good show. You are indeed, a writer…..far surpassing many of us! Panagiota. FAVING your poem. You inspire me to do far better. That is a gift!..Thank you, London for thx overwhelming work
Login to Reply
Buss Avatar
London F. Buss
Date: 3/12/2023 10:00:00 PM
Thanks Panagoita, I wrote a non-fiction book about the #%#^%& F.B.I it was shadow banned, it's a strange book, but it really happened.. Poetry I failed English and don't know many big words. I am an accidental writer. and I'm shocked that people like my works.. all the best.. LF.B
Date: 2/12/2023 3:58:00 PM
you have a real ability to keep the reader with you until the very last line (great closure by the way) you've got something..a very unique writing style, full of impact on the reader
Login to Reply
Buss Avatar
London F. Buss
Date: 2/12/2023 6:12:00 PM
Wow Charlotte, I'm shocked, your poetry is such an inspiration. For me your poem is the most powerful poem I have ever read.. I'm really a novice when it comes to writing have a 3rd grade education and need a dictionary to read most poems. So I just write stories. from the heart.. Queen sized bed: I saw that old man pushing a bed with his dying wife under the covers, down that rough dirt track.. I had a camera with me and had no desire to photograph such a private moment. I just burned the imagery into my mind.. I was in tears when I walked back.
Date: 2/7/2023 2:03:00 PM
Wow, this is an amazing poem. The storytelling is great as is the imagery and your attention to details. FAV for sure. John
Login to Reply
Buss Avatar
London F. Buss
Date: 2/7/2023 2:14:00 PM
Thanks so much, poem is non-fiction I saw this old man pushing his dying wife in a queen sized bed with gurney wheels along a dirt track..near Cowell South Australia..I tend to write stories as poems. I'm 3 grade trailer trash. and don't know many words of more than two syllables.. It would make an short movie.. Wrote a screen play in 2026.. :)
Get a Premium Membership
Get more exposure for your poetry and more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Reflection on the Important Things

Member Area

My Admin
Profile and Settings
Edit My Poems
Edit My Quotes
Edit My Short Stories
Edit My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder

Soup Social

Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us

Member Poems

Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread

Member Poets

Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest

Famous Poems

Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100

Famous Poets

Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War

Poetry Resources

Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter