Saturday, 10 August 2013

My Father's Death in 1982


He was watching television and laughed so hard
He slipped into the other world, the one where angels dwell,
And if that were so, he would not have been pleased at all,
Since he was a man of science, no bard
To fly about in fantasies and metaphors:
His heart gave out, and comedy can make it bearable
For the rest of us, as when sitting shiva the doors
Keep opening up and those who enter weep, laugh, and tell
Old anecdotes, how he was this and that, as though
They knew his secret thoughts and hopes.  Old letters
Can reveal another story, when you read them through;
They tell of pains and frustrations, loneliness, matters
He would never discuss with anyone but only relate

Amusing anecdotes, then look around and wait and wait.

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