Sunday, October 26, 2014

A MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION

LINCOLN





"Will I die too?" he asks.
He sits unusually still,
so close to me, I feel
like a thief inhaling
the scent of his youth.
I hold his little hand,
light, it almost tickles
like a feather. 

"Not for a very long time.
But it's natural,
the way a star 
disintegrates while falling
beautifully through the sky,
the way grandpa's plants wilt
after they've given all their fruit.

Lincoln, he waged his tail 
enough times, chased all the bubbles
he could, ate as much 
as his body could take,
made you laugh 'til 
he had no more funny,
did all he had to do,
became all he could be
and he was ready to leave."

"I hope I get to do all
I have to do and become
a big man like my Daddy." 

"I hope so too.  Now what matters most
is what you do today."

"I'm gonna go play."

"What a perfect choice."

I smile as he happily runs to get a toy.
I know he'll have many more 
questions as he grows.
And they'll be mostly about living.



(A fictionalized memory from 2 years ago.)


For Poets United.

12 comments:

  1. yes they will...and i am glad he has you there to give answers...and that he wants to grow up like his daddy made me smile....

    ReplyDelete
  2. How wonderful that you could have such a discussion with him and give him such well-thought-out, true, not scary answers. It is good to be able to answer questions that way. Obviously the answers satisfied him, and he went off to play.....until next time! Smiles. I always look forward to your poetry, Myrna.

    ReplyDelete
  3. what a tender moment... and handled so well

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh how very moving, Myrna, and I am happy to read your note that this is a memory of two years ago and is not happening now. Your wise Grandma words must have brought him so much comfort.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Perfect! Thanks for this poem.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think realizing our mortality is exactly like this.. Children do understand.. And they will accept it.. But just do the things that matter today.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh Myrna I smiled sweetly at this conversation..the innocence of childhood and the truth they tell us.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love this poem,Myrna. It felt as if i was quietly sitting in your living-room discreetly listening to your conversation. You found the perfect words, while expressing great truths about life and death, and your grandson understood.

    ReplyDelete
  9. A great poem and a wonderful way to handle that question.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lovely conversation, thanks for sharing. x

    ReplyDelete
  11. I really, really liked this one. My favorite part? The language. It's simple and therefore all the more beautiful. Thank you for your visit to my blog earlier this week!

    ReplyDelete