It is hard to find the words to describe the allure of the Goddess known as Marilyn Monroe. With the power to enthral all class of men from pauper to President, this woman, both a film and recording star, who today would probably be described as oversized, still features in the dreams of many.
Confined by health to her reclining chair
she told her nurse, “I’m dying.”
She replied by calling her a silly mare
but they both knew she was lying.
The old lady refused her breakfast
saying, “Please take it away,
last night’s dinner will be my last,
for the Angels are coming today.”
And the nurse with a smile jokingly said,
“You’re a bit grumpy today,
did you get out the wrong side of the bed
they’re not coming to take you away.”
The old lady passed away at lunchtime,
died peacefully but alone.
The smile on her face when they found her
told them the Angels had carried her home.
Sadly, my mother passed away two weeks ago. As you can imagine there is always a lot to do at this painful time. I am currently seated in her electrical recline and lift chair making all the necessary arrangements. She was confined to this room and two others for two years prior to her demise. Her main regret was not being able to watch the birds on the feeders as she was able in her previous garden. Due to her inability to stand she was unable to see the birds frequenting this small garden from this seat. Looking up, I glanced out of the window as I had noticed a stirring of the abundant foliage of the honeysuckle bush beside the window. Then the dark brown head of a hen blackbird emerged. Within two minutes a cockbird flew into the bush, passing in full view of the window. Had my mother been alive she would have reported the sightings to me during our next telephone chat. In all this time this is the first time a bird of any species has chosen to nest in the bush. She would have been able to follow the progress of the raising of a family from the comfort of her chair. But sadly this is not to be. Is this irony, I for one cannot say but it underlines the sadness that invariably accompanies death whether a curse or a blessing.
Their gaze uplifted
eyes, ears and hearts opened,
smiling in their joy.
His message of peace and love,
a lesson for all nations.
Filed under Christian, Factual, faith, Inspired emotion, Self compositions, Tanka
Nursed unto the death,
final act of devotion,
eyes gently closing,
only memories remain
in that void once filled with love.
Sam looked at the trees lining the highway. Varieties that he and his fellow prisoners had uprooted many years before. He knew tears would flow with every mile they covered, with each new memory. Memories of a life passed and lives lost amidst tears, both wasted and wasteful. Tears mixed with sweat-diluted blood. In the blazing, tropical, midday sun, moisture was precious, the guards watching every move, seldom and reluctantly offering water to drink. They had laid the track yard by yard but now he was perversely pleased to see their death railway transformed into the main highway through Burma
When the cancer struck,
only way to save his speech,
a plastic voicebox.
Alone in her room
she dons mascara and rouge
hoping to allure.
What secrets may be hidden
underneath the painted smile.
Filed under As you read it, Inspired emotion, Self compositions, Tanka
The poppy’s power
to beautify corruption
will not diminish.
As ten thousand petals fall
then we will remember them
Filed under From the heart, History, Inspired emotion, Loyal subject, Tanka
The dust of ages
covers the petrified bones
in the sepulchre.
Memories of ancestors,
unknown but not forgotten.
written for https://colleenchesebro.com/2018/10/30/colleens-weekly-tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-no-108-afraid-grave-synonymsonly/
Filed under As you read it, From the heart, History, Inspired emotion, Self compositions, Tanka
