Best Great Uncle Poems
In Arras field he watched that day
A flash of light against the grey,
High explosives whistled all around
And fallen thousands filled the ground.
Kentish man against the wall,
He had defended to the last;
A fleeting life--
So briefly did it pass.
One of the Lost generation of World War ONE 1918
Here, where the sky is so close,
the deep shadows of the hill have
taken away our great uncle
A family love,
conciliator,
firm of authority,
Shield of wisdom.
We weep to usher gladness of comfort
Thereafter, we will pray:
Perpetual dew
through the Mercy of God,
that Impeccable care,
Tranquility, glory from Grace,
Love and affection, guardianship
unto our faithful ancestry
Blessedness of Eternal repose
Alav ha-shalom
I was a child, yes, even little old me,
curious and happy, my smile wild with glee.
But at the tender age of seven,
I learnt that family go to heaven.
My aunt, a distant, great, great one,
who I'm told baked Welsh cakes second to none,
passed on by in her sleep,
no sickness, no hospital stay or cardiac bleep.
Too young to mourn my mother said,
too far to go for distant dead.
To be honest, it wasn't until that time,
that I learnt about my family's line.
My grandad had two sisters see,
each as unique as one could be.
One died some time before my birth,
now sadly this aunt was laid in earth.
Yet, along came a parcel, a letter, a note,
'To Charlotte' , from 'Uncle Sam' it wrote.
The parcel, I opened, like any young child,
ripping at the packaging, like kid gone wild.
Inside was a teddy bear, my aunt had owned,
given at the same age as me, seven years old.
The letter was written in cursive, neat, aligned,
with a twenty pound note, how beyond kind?
It said 'use on something you will treasure,
please write me a letter, at your leisure'.
Who would have known that I'd do just that,
buying a fishing rod, a reel, tackle and hat.
And sooner than later we visited, on my request,
he greeted us, in wellies, lumberjack shirt and vest.
Such a marvellous man, such stories he told,
from sheep stealing dinners to finding lost gold.
A friendship of two, age didn't matter,
we were both unique, quirky, mad as a hatter.
Fast forward ten years, he is so gravely ill,
me at his beside, in the hospital on the hill.
I speak of stories, now tales of my own,
a distraction from his internal body groan.
I hug, I smile, bless him for his love,
and that next morning he was called above.
Through bereavement and loss, I gained a friend,
we remained close right until the end.
Love like that, so unique, and so raw,
changed my whole outlook down to the core.
My heart still skips, like I was seven,
when I reminisce about my uncle, now in heaven.
06.05.2021
Tender moment as a child contest
Sponsored by: Malabika Ray Choudhury
This is a story about an uncle…and two things that make him great.
The first would be his patience…his ability to wait.
The second: his sister’s daughter just had a baby girl…
meaning the members of his family have increased…
meaning now he is a great uncle and her baby…his great niece.
But with so many family members rushing in to feast their eyes and to behold her…This great uncle got to see her…but he never got to hold her.
So many times he wanted to…so many times he’d yearn…
but he would always acquiesce and give someone else his turn.
Until the day he got to feel his great niece and all her charms…
when it was finally his turn to hold her in his arms.
He held her for a long time and as his arms grew numb…
all the time he smiled…and all the time she sucked her thumb.
He’s not sure how it happened but once into his arms his great niece climbed…His world shrunk down to just the two of them and he lost all track of time
And even though this great uncle didn’t get to hold his great niece right away…that was not to be their fate…
One look at the two of them together and you knew…it was worth the wait.
Worth the wait for the great niece to feel the comfort and safety of her great uncle’s arms…and to know that he will be there to keep her safe from harm.
And worth the wait for the great uncle who got to feel what all of us who’ve ever held a baby already know…
Once you hold a baby in your arms…you never want to let them go.
FRAGILE FREEDOMS
Lost in France,
Resting
'neath a simple cross,
Just name,nationality and rank;
Giving of life,was his loss.
At home,
A breaking,aching heart;
A sweetheart's pain;
Her emptiness
was another's gain.
In memory
fading go
As echoing years slip by,
And still her tears flow;
Vivid yet
her anguish sigh.
Forgotten,forfeit
and for what?
freedom frailties,fragile,
Such ideas still beguile;
T'was ever thus,
the peasant soldier's lot.
REPOST FROM 2007