FOURSCORE AND THREE
By Leonard Kleeman
As I approach fourscore and three
I wonder how it would really be
If I could go back in time
And make that “Road Not Taken” mine.
If I could just take a different road
Would I be me or of a different mode?
Would I still be here or have died
Regardless of how hard I tried?
Would my friends be the same
Or of a different name?
Would I be rich or very poor
And never see the year fourscore?
But the road not taken as writ by Frost
Makes all those questions and answers lost
For I am just me as you can see
And what really matters for fourscore and three
Is who I am and what was meant to be.
THE WAY IT WAS
By Leonard Kleeman
My daughter said, "I want it to be the way it was."
And I said, "My dear, that cannot be" and she cried.
I went to my wife's grave
and I watched and I waited and I cried.
I said, "I want it to be the way it was."
The clouds rolled in and hid the sun
And I heard a voice say, "That cannot be."
I walked along a beach and watched
the sinuous curve of the waves roll in.
Then they slowed and the curve became flat and
there were no more waves.
The ocean was still and the birds didn't fly.
And I said, "I want it to be the way it was."
The voice said, "That cannot be."
I went home and I was alone.
The lights went dim and the house got cold.
So I said, "I want it to be the way it was."
And a voice said, "That cannot be."
It is said that the only constant is change.
But, some things can never change.
I told my daughter that I loved her
and
I will always love and miss her mother.
That will never change.
That will always be
the way it was.
Loss of a Mate
By Leonard Kleeman
The loss of a mate is a terrible thing,
particularly when wed together for over 50 years.
You will miss your mate all the time
and for the rest of your life, no matter what happens.
It is like losing an arm or a leg.
It is no longer there but you miss it considerably.
And there really is no replacement.
Even if you get a prosthesis.
The limb is still missing and you feel it.
The prosthesis helps but it is not the same.
When you remove it the missing part becomes
apparent and you feel the deep emotion
of having lost something forever.
It is physical and it is emotional and it is always on your mind
no matter how it appears to others.
With the loss of a mate,
a lifetime is lost and you know it,
sense it,
and will never forget it.
The above is metaphorical concerning finding a companion after the loss of a spouse. Children usually do not understand the meaning of companionship and the loneliness that occurs with that condition. They have to understand that a companion is not a replacement of the one who has passed away. The companion is a prosthesis for the soul.
NOBODY THERE
By Leonard Kleeman
When you lose someone dear
it's really hard to bear.
You turn to talk
but nobody is there.
You wake up in the morning
and turn to say good day,
but there's nobody there.
You sit and eat breakfast
and scan the newspaper.
You lift your head to remark
but there's nobody there.
You just talk to the air
or even the wall
but neither will care.
'cause there's nobody there.
You go alone to the movies
or to a show.
You can't comment to anyone because
there's no one there you know.
The things you must dread
when your spouse is now dead
is the loneliness that reaches out
every minute of the day.
It taps you on the shoulder
and you turn around but,
there's nobody there.
It surrounds you as
you look to the sky
and the clouds just roll on by and
you want to say ' "Oh my"
but there's nobody there.
You have family and friends
but it's not the same.
They don 't bring you coffee
as you watch the game.
There's no one to call
if you should take a fall
because there's nobody there.
The whole world is a deserted isle.
You are lonely
and you need someone to care
but there's nobody there
and you remain alone.
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