Inspired by He Has a Name, by Suzette Richards (2021)
I. Ink and Ashes
Steeped
in the pain
of his slain countryman,
surrounded by the t u r m o i l
of real fears
laid bare —
exposed —
on the s.t.o.n.e - c.o.l.d
T A R M A C.
A poet dipped his I N K
in the spilled
T
E
A
R
S
Hero
or
Zero?
He had a name —
he had a name …
II. The Son Who Stood
A mother’s S O N
stood up
to be counted
in a time
when voices
were made
M U T E;
indoctrinated —
to the edge of
S T U P O R.
A poet watches.
Waits.
Remains
R E S O L U T E.
He had a name?
He had a name.
III. No Monument
NO statue
would be erected
in his name
because he wasn’t
the first man to be
s*l*a*i*n.
At the next
roll call of
C I V I L U N R E S T
this poet’s words
E A S E
some of
the N A K E D P A I N.
He has a name!
HE HAS A NAME!
I know how you feel
worst thing to say to someone who is grieving
because you don't know
none of us can know
do not presume you know anyone else's feelings
sometimes we don't even know our own emotions
do not speak for others
let them speak for themselves
If I could go back in time,
I’d go back to when I believed in soulmates
the way I believe the stars in the night sky
guide us to a predetermined destiny.
Poorly illuminated by the moon,
leaving you to seek yourself intentionally.
Well,
I’ve learned you can throw away fate
when you make an extremist choice,
deviating against that destiny.
Like salmon in the springtime,
we kill ourselves only to respawn,
and reinvent new regret
in search of things we think we need
but already possess.
Now,
I don’t mean to come off as nihilistic or depressed,
but I’m slowly starting to stop believing in prepackaged outcomes,
and have come to the conclusion
that only children believe in soulmates.
At least I did when I was a kid.
Now I know for certain,
love only exists when it’s convenient,
and the stars, more often than not,
pick favorites.
I love you both with all my heart,
But Mum, you tore that love apart.
You made me choose, you made me cry,
While Dad was left to wonder why.
You spoke of him with poisoned tongue,
Bad words for ears still far too young.
You painted him in shades of wrong,
And made me feel I don’t belong.
He wasn’t perfect, neither are you,
But love should never be cut in two.
You didn’t let me have my say,
You slowly pushed him far away.
I grieved a man who didn’t die,
He lived, he waited, I wondered why.
You shut him out without a trace,
And left a space I couldn’t replace.
I missed his voice, his laugh, his face,
I missed the way he held me safe.
And though he lived, it felt the same
As if he’d gone and I was to blame.
Let children love, don’t make them choose,
It’s not a game, it’s hearts you lose.
By David S Bailey
29th May 2025
At the end of the day it seems
I know more than I knew in the morning
The daytime reality fades into dreams
The dreams disappear with no warning
It all boils down to the evening
Just one more evening to bear
Since one certain day it’s a different feeling
Cause you are no longer there
So what do I know? Not much
The other people know better
I know you are out of touch
And there won’t be a new letter
A new message, a new phone call..
I don’t know how to bear the evening!
And the end of the day time falls
Comes the night, with updated grieving.
Inspired by a moving life story of someone who lost a loved one recently.
My Heart is still a grieving space
By Michelle Morris
07/01/2025
Your passing was expected
The timing understood
But still it's been immensely difficult
To accept this is closure for our Souls
My Heart is still a grieving space
It's no longer a part of me
I'm trying to distance these feelings
Too overwhelming, stealing Peace
And in these lonely moments
Walking around your empty home
I'm reminded of my childhood
Memories of Love and Hope
Now it's just that building
Where you took your very last breath
And even though it was peaceful
I wish I could have delayed old Death
But He is quite persistent
And He always gets his way
Taking our loved ones from us
To Heaven where they'll stay
Our Faith remains in the Angels unseen
In God's Plan and Graceful Mercies
Where we'll meet our loved ones once again
One day when it's our turn
© Michelle Morris, 2025
I’m sorry.
That you are suffering.
That you are misunderstood.
That you aren’t shown the love you should.
I’m sorry.
For not noticing.
For not hearing you.
For not seeing your struggle.
I’m sorry
For listening
Only to turn around
And tell someone else.
I’m sorry.
For not being very helpful.
For my selfishness.
For making this about myself.
I’m sorry.
For letting it get this far.
For watching you get worse.
For not reaching out.
But I’m not sorry.
For getting you help.
For slipping your secrets out.
For telling someone who can aid you.
I’m not sorry.
For caring.
For loving.
For being there.
I won’t apologize for that.
Let me have this moment
This space that'll forever be lost
Let it live on inside me
In my heart
In my mind
Can I be selfish?
Do I deserve to be selfish?
Why should I have this?
Why should I have you?
Can I be selfish?
Just for a moment
The still holds us close
I'm afraid
Can I be selfish?
If I breathe, play will resume all that I struggled to hold near
Can I be selfish?
Do I deserve you?
Can I be selfish?
There's no place for me
I shake as I fear that this too will leave my grasp
Can I be selfish?
Right here
Can I be selfish?
If I move, I'll never find you again
Can I be selfish?
Here
Can I be selfish?
I blink and everything has changed
Can I be selfish?
I want to go back
Can I be selfish?
That moment
Can I be selfish?
You looked at me with life
Can I be selfish?
I've lost myself
Away in the wind to never to be returned to me
Can I be selfish?
These breaths are foreign and unknown
Who am I?
Can I be selfish?
No.
you said we were close like tightbond two
I never would be losing you
but now I'm left only thinking of you
I used to see you in the stars
but now all I see are scars
why'd you go so far
you left me in the summer
never shared a mummer
now I'm getting number
you said you'd be there whenever
we'd be together forever
now your absence is my suppressor
maybe you didn't care
but to me you were rare
now I'm stuck in despair
you said you would stay
I put my heart on a tray
now I'm starting to fray
when you said to stay strong
I didn't know you'd be gone
why did everything have to go wrong
you may not be dead
but you still filled me with Dread
I feel so misled
you didn't say you were leaving
I can't stop the feeling
you knew I'd start reeling
I can't forget you
no matter what I do
but you left like the dew
if only you knew
how much I miss you
what would you do
First thought when I wake up,
Is how much I miss you,
I think of the light in your eyes,
Your beautiful smile too,
Your infectious laughs,
The dreams I had for you,
The goals you made,
And the ones you pushed me to do,
Your pure heart,
How some days you pushed through,
Still always lifting others,
I'm so proud of you,
I miss your hugs,
Your kisses and stories too,
I never thought this life,
Would provide so few,
Sometimes I pick up my phone,
To call or text you,
Tell you something funny,
Or just ask what's new,
But then I remember,
What I wish wasn't true,
You're no longer on this earth,
I no longer have you,
How do I face each day,
I haven't got a clue,
How can the world go on,
It doesn't make sense without you,
I don't want to face another night,
Or wake to another morning dew,
Not unless this universe,
Gives me back you.
Tears and blood flow as one. Joining together on the cold floor, asking one another, "How did you get here?"
My Dog, Pig,
was a British Bull
A heavy but steady
scary looking fool
She would stand like a statue
Perfectly hilarious
And balance on things we thought precarious
She faced every day with vigour,
This rumbling tumbling Hog
If there be a stream she could snarfle out
You’d find her amongst the bog
Every call was heeded
By a wide and ludicrous stance,
Oh my sweet little Pig, I'd kill for another chance
She also listened, she knew me well, better than any being
A dog like Pig only comes around once,
The believing is in the seeing
Not an hour goes by I don't ache
And pine for my dog, Pig
Sent by the Gods with a brain a tad small,
But a heart just too big
They say the last stage of grief is acceptance,
the most difficult stage.
The moment we acknowledge that they are gone forever.
That they're never returning.
I have not reach this stage yet,
as how am I meant to live my life without him by my side.
How?
My heart's knotted into a thousand loops,
hearing the words "they're gone",
makes my heart implode.
How?
I ask with tears streaming down my face,
autopsy revealed 'heart attack'
caused by stress.
Was the stress caused by me?
Dad,
time has passed but it hurts me still,
part of me knows it always will.
I know you didn't mean to leave us,
you were just in a dark place.
Having a dad like you was the biggest blessing any girl could receive,
But it was also a curse as your illness made you change.
You may not have always been the best to us,
be we all know you still loves us all.
I love you dad
and I always will.
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