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Life Journey Reflections » Poems: Loss and Grief

• Poems
  
  Loss and Grief

  
  

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  "SURPRISED BY JOY--IMPATIENT AS THE WIND"
  
  SURPRISED by joy--impatient as the Wind
  I turned to share the transport--Oh! with whom
  But Thee, deep buried in the silent tomb,
  That spot which no vicissitude can find?
  Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind--
  But how could I forget thee? Through what power,
  Even for the least division of an hour,
  Have I been so beguiled as to be blind
  To my most grievous loss?--That thought's return
  Was the worst pang that sorrow ever bore,
  Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn,
  Knowing my heart's best treasure was no more;
  That neither present time, nor years unborn
  Could to my sight that heavenly face restore.
  

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  LULLABY
  
  It seems I held you in my arms
  For such a little while
  Each hour that I carried you
  Imprinted on my heart.
  
  My children, will you ever know
  The hurt I feel inside?
  The yearning goes on endlessly- 
  It's tearing me apart.
  
  So let me sing your lullaby
  Although I sing alone,
  Let me dream I'm with you just a while
  Please, let me close my eyes and hear
  Your voices once again,
  Echoing across those endless miles.
  

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  I'll always remember you
  
  How do I say "Goodbye"?
  How do I let you go?
  And, where do I send you to,
  If once you leave my heart?
  
  How do I forgive you?
  And, do I really know
  What to do with all
  The pieces torn apart?
  
  How can I still keep you
  And touch your memory…
  To conjure in my mind
  The sweetest smile?
  
  My friend, how do I hold the strands
  And weave into my heart
  The colours of the love in you
  And of a broken child?
  
  Deb
  13/07/05
  

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  SNAKE BITE
  
  We rounded cattle at Kintore
  We swam the Yarra River
  We cantered through the flooded plains
  Of Windsor Park together
  
  We travelled down the railway lines
  We struggled up steep hills
  We bolted across the widest ditch
  That challenged both our wills.
  
  You watched me grow in to a woman
  You watched my life unfold
  You taught my children how to ride
  I watched you grow so old
  
  We travelled many miles together
  We knew how each would feel
  We 'd be there each and every day
  Our love was true and real
  
  And now your life is over
  And I'm left to carry on
  Now a life we shared so dearly
  I'll have to go alone
  
  Now enjoy your life in heaven
  Canter freely though please wait
  For when my time befalls me
  I'd like to meet you at the gate.
  
  Lynne Murray
  

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  ONCE A JOLLY SWAGMAN...
  
  In loving memory of my man 
  Snakebite - (fatman - shnook and bones)
  sharing 27 years of love, compassion, friendship and memories - aged 35 years.
  
  Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong...
  Apart from saying I love you
  I think a dozen times
  This is what I sung to him
  To synchronise our minds
  
  Under the shade of a Coolabah tree...
  He waited for me on this morn
  he led me to the ground
  I held him tightly in my arms
  Not another sole around.
  
  And he sang as he watched and waited til his billy boiled...
  Tears falling from my eyes
  Leaving streaks upon my face
  I sung this song from no where
  I knew what we must face.
  
  Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
  Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,...
  sitting there beside him
  Rocking to and fro
  Stroking his head so passionately
  I had to let him go.
  
  Up came the jumbuck to drink at that billabong
  Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee...
  I can remember screaming 'Oh my God'
  In an uncontrollable cry
  As I felt his soul separate
  And gallop to the sky
  
  Up came the squatter riding on his thorough bred
  Up came policemen - one, two , three ...
  I caressed his neck and stroked his head
  Holding him gently in my arms
  He never spoke a word to me
  Yet soaked the tears I shed
  
  Up jumped the Swagman and jumped into that billabong
  You'll never catch me alive said he..
  I sat beside him, laid beside him
  For nearly half a day
  I couldn't let my man get cold
  I couldn't walk away.
  
  And his ghost may be heard
  As you pass by that billabong...
  Now Snakebite lies beneath the grounds
  Of the house that I call home
  No more hoof prints in the dirt
  and no more neighs - alone.
  
  Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
  But Snakebites ghost may heard
  Just listen to my heart
  The memories of my fine old steed
  are with me til I part.
  
  Lynne Murray

© Focal Point Yarra Valley 2009