Featured Poem: Grief

By Andrea Walker
Pensacola Branch, Florida

 

Yesterday, an old friend died, big brother to several of us

when we were teens.

This morning as I walk,

I am warmed by March temperatures.

Two doors down a cute little dog

runs from across the street wagging his tail furiously,

stretching tiny paws up to my knees.

Louie, his owner calls. He’s busy, I say pointing to the tree trunk Louie now sniffs.

Down the sidewalk a pink camellia lies

where it has fallen from its bush.

Around the corner a flock of robins pecks

in the dry, winter-brown, grass,

hurry ahead of me from one lawn to the next.

A pair of brilliant cardinals dances an airy ballet

through bare grey limbs against a spring blue sky.

Unaware of February’s cold,

daffodils now bloom in abundance.

I turn toward the sparkling bay,

enjoy the easy trek downhill.

An empty black sedan sits in Chimney Park,

its owner perhaps seeking solitude as I am.

I step across the railroad tracks,

through the narrow thicket of woods and brush,

to the shoreline of golden sand

where I have the beach to myself.

Low tide allows me to walk farther than usual.

I tread on wet hard-packed sand,

pausing for a closer look at

a partially buried mussel shell, still intact.

Where a tidal pool has retreated,

a shorebird has left six-inch prints.

I pause to gaze at the calm surface,

the horizon,

the future,

the past.

After a moment, I turn back on the cormorants

who haven’t noticed me,

back through the small thicket,

back over the railroad tracks.

The sedan is gone.

I trudge up the hill and back to my street.

The daffodils look brighter.

The robins still hurry ahead of me.

Bright red nandina berries I didn’t notice before

stand in stark contrast to a variegated shrub.

I stoop, carefully pick up the fragile pink camellia. Louie is

nowhere to be seen, safe inside.

At home, I make plans to go to my friend’s funeral,

float the camellia in a crystal bowl

on the kitchen table.

9 comments

  1. Claire Massey says:

    This poem speaks beautifully of the comfort and reassurance that the continuing patterns, the ebb and flow of nature, can bring us.
    Claire Massey
    NLAPW Poetry Editor

  2. Andrea says:

    Thanks so much to all of you who shared your thoughts on this poem. I appreciate your support.

  3. Barb Whitmarsh NLAPW says:

    A VERY TOUCHING LOVELY PIECE AND A TRIBUTE TO A GOOD & DEAR FRIEND.
    THANKS FOR SHARING.

  4. Lori Zavada says:

    I felt like I was walking with you Andrea. This is such a lovely poem that emphasizes all that goes on around us when we take the time to look. I’m sure it was a healing experience upon hearing about your friend’s passing.

  5. Karen Morris says:

    The long pensive walk, with its acute observation of abundant, beautiful life, contrasts so well with the sudden starkness of loss . . . and suggests that the birds, the dog, the blossoms, the sand and sea help to heal us.

  6. I love this poem by Andrea Walker! It really speaks to me … partly because she sets the scene and I know exactly where this is and partly because of what it says! Life goes on and we must appreciate every moment and every thing around us. Thank you , Andrea for sharing ! Please check it out on WordPress.com

  7. Anne Baehr says:

    Andrea, this is just absolutely beautiful. I took that walk with you every step.

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