“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall
see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your
delight.”
~Kahlil Gibran
“It’s so curious: one can resist tears and ‘behave’ very well in the
hardest hours of grief. But then someone makes you a friendly
sign behind a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud
only yesterday has suddenly blossomed, or a letter slips from a
drawer… and everything collapses.”
~Colette
“Breathe.
Listen for my footfall in your heart.
I am not gone but merely walk within you.”
~Nicholas Evans
For my daughter Jacqueline (1974-1976)
And the rain fell
And the rain fell
Scattering precious droplets
That would cling
To your long dark lashes
And your down-like curls
The laughter in your eyes
So evident in your outburst
As you thrust back your wee head
Straining to catch each particle of moisture
Within your grasp
And the rain fell
*
And I marveled in your delight
Each time as if it were the first
The magic ignited
In your ebony-brown eyes
As you tried with clenched fists
To capture the minute drops
As if to possess them – forever
And the rain fell
*
We come to realize
That each of us
Like those drops of rain
Must abandon the boundaries of earth
To embark on the uncharted journey
Seizing memories as our companion
And the rain fell
*
It soaked my clothes
It dampened the virgin wood that encased you
And my body trembled
As the deep pain clawed at my heart
The freshly upturned soil
That waited to embrace you
And the rain fell
*
The skies above seemed to match my tears
Falling softly
The icy wind
Seemed to mock the last kiss
We shared
The frigid wax of your lips
The eyes that no longer met mine
My arms long to caress you one more time
…And the rain fell
Bisous,
Léa
Nice, I really enjoyed this one.
Merci bien!
Such a poignant poem…. my heart goes out to you, Lea. that kind of sorrow knows no bounds of time or space. May you be comforted by your angels each time the grief washes anew….
Thank you. She is always with me yet in an instant, a flashback, it is only a heartbeat ago.
compelling, heartfelt and heartwrenching – lovely, albeit beyond sad
After all these years the flashbacks do bite! Yet she is always with me especially when it rains. Thank you.
beautiful … I see the pictures
beautiful
Thank you.
she IS with you, i can feel it xx
Thank you. I feel her here despite that tiny grave on Long Island. While less frequent, flashbacks make it so immediate. Then it begins to rain and I hear her laughter.
Yes. At times just a peaceful knowing, at times a powerful flashback. When it rains, I hear her laughter.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Léa
i’m all in tears…wonderfully sensitively written but just can’t stop crying…i’m so sorry lea
There is a tiny grave at Mount Golda on Long Island. But my daughter is here with me, regardless of where I am! Sometimes there are flashbacks but when it rains, I remember her laughter. She loved the rain. It was a bright sunny day with no clouds. Yet it started raining… It was Jacqueline. So many years ago, but in a flash, right now. Thank you for sharing this with me.
It feels a little callous to “like” this post Lea – but I “like” the poem, the beauty expressed, whilst feeling much sympathy for the woman who experienced this. x
Thank you and I do understand. All the comments I have had say much the same thing. It has been a long time but in flashbacks was yesterday. It was my daughter and when it rains, I hear her laughter she loved the rain so much.
My heart wept.
Hi Rachel,
Despite all the years, a flashback makes it feel like yesterday. Thank you for stopping by.
So very beautiful, so very heart wrenching! Thanks for sharing your deepest feelings. Bev
Thank you for your kindness. Léa
So sorry. So beautiful.
Thank you. It was so many years ago, and it was yesterday.
And now I am speechless Lea; I cannot even begin to understand. But I am trying to. This poem is beautiful.
Love
Christine
Xxx
Christine, I often think understanding such pain is beyond mere mortals.
I don’t know if you noticed the quotes but they did speak to me.
Love,
Léa
Xxx
Yes Lea, both quotes speak very loudly to me too. You always find such appeopriate words which enhance, not your poetry, but the subjects you write about. Your poetry needs no enhancing whatsoever. 😊 Xx
You are too kind Christine! I am very grateful for your continued support.
Xx
😊 It will always be there 😊 xxx
That works in both directions! xxx
Xxx😊xxX
Xxxx
I’m almost speechless. I will se the rain differently now. Powerful poem. Of course sad but also full of something hopeful in a way.
I didn’t understand why the rain depressed me so until I wrote that. Now it doesn’t depress me it is as if it is a silent message from Jacqueline.
Beautifully expressed. I am so sorry for your loss. Grief is timeless. As someone who shares many moments with a mother who has lost her child I know I have no real understanding of your loss, there are no words, regardless of the length of time that has passed.
Thank you for sharing this post with me.
Thank you.
Léa, such heart wrenching words! I’d like to imagine Little Jacqueline’s laughter as she watched the rain pitter patter on the window pane. It makes the sadness easier. Thank you for sharing your poem with me. 📚❤️ Christine
Christine, I guess I need to re-work it. It was outside when it rained that she threw back her head laughing and tried to catch each drop. When she was in the hospital and a few weeks old, CHF, they gave her an overdose of Digitalis and she had a cardiac arrest. Later they noted that she then also had Cerebral Palsy. Her head thrashed about in the rain as she became so excited. I just noticed, I was smiling as I typed her response to the rain… ❤
Léa, unbelievable what baby Jacqueline went through. Such sadness! No need to rework it. That’s my vision of her, just another smiling version. Glad you were smiling too! 📚❤️
Writing that poem freed me from the depression that would come with the rain. Now it is a soft reminder of her laughter. The power of writing it out. ❤
Léa, the power of writing has no bounds! 📚 Christine
Without a doubt. However, as I advised my clients, one must be safe to do so.
Christine, Yes. If it can be done safely. Lea
❤
This is a beautiful tribute and her soul lives on with every rain drop that falls. I am sure her face is steched into a picture of your memory of that magical moment when she tried to catch the rain, her eyes full of life and wonder.
Yes. And as sick as she was, the rain made her laugh. Since writing that, I now have her laughter again. Thank you and for following one of my blogs.
What a beautiful and moving poem, Léa…
Thank you.