When I Grieve

There were so many present today, To pay their respects and To bid you their final farewells. Some expressed grief at your sudden absence, Some took a fond walk down the memory lane. Some left early having fulfilled their societal responsibility, Some sat in silence, unable to articulate their many thoughts. What about me, you ask? I wondered. I wondered what will it be like? When I run out of the last of your favourite biscuits. Or when the bedroom stops smelling of your aftershave. When your loyal labrador is too old to go for a walk, And when the flowers stop piling at your grave. When the oak tree in the backyard withers, And when they stop selling your treasured cigarettes. What if our trusted tea shop around the corner closes down? And all your shirt buttons start coming undone one by one. I wondered. I wondered what will it be like? When everyone stops grieving, When everyone moves on. What will it be like? When I lose you in the truest sense, And I finally grieve in a world happy without you.