The Cost
Never saw anyone with a brighter smile,
a quicker wit.
Mundane chores were joke fodder;
You convulsed at your own folly,
Marked the hours by chuckles
Grim labors lightened,
In the steady stream of hilarity.
What is the price you pay;
For this cheer, this regular rhythm of life
They have absorbed it,
It is well woven into their beings.
Do you let the tears fall?
In spaces where you disappear
The storms ravage in full measure,
The memories, the grief
The anxieties engulf you.
Let the ramparts break.
The large pictures on every wall,
Keeps him near you.
The candles you light
Shine warmth into their little hearts.
They reach out to him with small folded hands,
Every morning, every night
When it breaks my heart so,
What is the toll on you?
Now I am older, safety nets all in place
I may not recognize you
You will definitely not remember me
But that funny voice, the effervescence
A strand of that resilience
I want to bring into my life
One day I will stop by
And fill up some joy.
Copyright © Rachel Mathew | Year Posted 2020
|