Thursday, May 19, 2022

#TankaTuesday #Poetry Challenge #PhotoPrompt #EkphrasticPoem #DoubleNonnet @ColleenChesebro #poetry #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #poems #death #mourning


Hello, beautiful readers! This week's #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge provides us with a photo prompt to write an ekphrastic poem. The talented David, from the Skeptic's Kaddish, chose the photo for this week. 


This is a photo of his father who has since passed on. The goal isn't to describe the picture but to use the photo as inspiration. As I looked at this beautiful picture, I saw a man who was living in the moment and appreciating the beauty around him, and I saw the love of a son who cherishes this memory of his dad. 

Recently, I've read several posts from authors who are grieving the loss of a loved one. And with the recent shootings here in America, I empathize with those who have lost a part of their hearts with these meaningless deaths. So, I let my heart follow its path from grieving to healing.

I chose to use a double nonet. A nonet has nine lines following the syllabic pattern of 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. A double nonet would then add another stanza in reverse syllabic order. You can read more about this and other forms here. I chose this form because it looks like an hour glass, which reminds me of just how little time one feels they were given before their loved one leaves them. 


Love's Loss


a loved one's death starts with emptiness

heavy hearts, waterfalls of tears

memories cannot be hugged

a song or a picture

reminds us of loss

but we're still here

without them

we must

live

climb

above

loneliness

breathe in fresh air

release all the pain

take one step at a time

find beauty in life again

capture their spirit through love's lens

their essence will surround you always

 

23 comments:

  1. So beautiful and poignant, Yvi. So we’ll captured! (Harmony) 💕🙂

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Harmony! There was a part of me that wanted to shove a huge gap between the two stanzas because I know the grieving process isn't a switch that you can just turn off, but it just looked weird. Lol! I'm glad you liked the poem. :-)

      Delete
  2. Thank you, Colleen! I'm happy you connected with it. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. The wave of grief and love, beautifully rendered. (K)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kerfe! I love the picture that forms in my mind. :-)

      Delete
  4. Jules, here...

    It is through a positive lens that we must continue living. Sharing the good memories helps. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, Jules! Being surrounded by people who will let you share the good memories can be very comforting. Thanks for stopping by today! :-)

      Delete
  5. Yvette, truly a heartfelt poem. Soothing the senses with the postive words are invoked in this poem. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I'm happy you could feel that positivity. :-)

      Delete
  6. Oh my goodness, Yvette! This is SO good! It touched me deeply!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw, thank you, Jan! A recent post about someone's grief (keeping her name anonymous for privacy) lingers with me, and then hearing that this picture is of David's dad, who has since passed away, the two just seemed connected for me. So, I wanted to honor the ones left behind who must find a way to continue forward with a grieving heart. I'm happy you felt that. :-)

      Delete
  7. Yvette, you've taken us into the depths of sorrow and brought us back into the light through this poem. Amazing skill, Yvette. I love it. Bravo! 💗

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Gwen! Your compliment fills my heart with joy. :-)

      Delete
  8. Amen, Yvette - perfectly written!

    ~David

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, David! I'm so happy you liked it. :-)

      Delete
  9. The cycle of grief beautifully described 💜

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Willow! I appreciate you stopping by. :-)

      Delete
  10. Amazing Yvette and so relateable for all of us who have lost those we love.. thank you ♥

    ReplyDelete
  11. So beautiful and heartfelt, Yvette. This poem brought tears to my eyes. Loss is something we all share and it resonates. A lovely way for David to honor his dad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Diana! I appreciate you sharing that with me. :-)

      Delete
  12. That was a beautiful tribute to the grieving, Yvette. Well done.

    ReplyDelete

I love comments, so please share your thoughts with me! :-)