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walking in my daughter's shoes by suzn morgan

21/4/2023

9 Comments

 
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​She slumped down into the couch
A slight smile on her lips
Slipped her shoes off
Tucking tender feet beneath.
Her shoes, new and smart
Lay forsaken in front of us
Like dying butterflies on a path.
A few fleeting agonizing minutes
And she was gone, gone on
Long past me.
 
She was made of more
Tender non-attachment
Than I, this tough old bird.
She left no personal effects
All given away
Even before her last breath.
 
After long minutes of
Baptising, over and over,
Her softly cooling
Face and hands
With my generous tears
They arrive to take away
Her body.
 
I slip on those shoes
She now has no need for
And walk away
Destroyed, grief-stricken.
 
Ten weeks later
Wearing her shoes
I take her along with me
On our longed for walkabout.
I stride the broken
And cobbled streets of Guatemala,
Weeping without cease.
 
While her shoes
Meant for gentler urban paths
Swiftly lose their loveliness.
I try to be gentle, tender with them
They are precious to me.
Yet I walk through
This foreign landscape
With all its mystery,
And beauty and brokenness
Weeping for that which
I can not bear,
Her now disheveled shoes
And my shattered heart.
 
These charming, delicate shoes
Still carrying her essence
Not suitable for this life
But carrying me forward,
A trail of tears
In my wake.
9 Comments
Gabriela
21/4/2023 08:27:03 am

Oh, my dear Suzn. Such a heartfelt honouring of your daughter and her walk. Now your walk. 💔🕯💔🕯

Reply
Sharon Hoyland
21/4/2023 09:35:43 am

Suzn, your poem touches me deeply. Thank you for sharing your very tender journey through your grief♥️

Reply
Alice Mitchell
21/4/2023 11:31:16 am

Wonderful

Reply
Dave M
21/4/2023 06:34:05 pm

Very heartfelt and sad words but so true to the reality of the situation. Thanks for sharing!

Reply
Jerry link
21/4/2023 07:24:52 pm

A beautiful sad poem .

Reply
Lynn Morgan
22/4/2023 11:35:39 am

thank you....luv you

Reply
Dawn
22/4/2023 01:41:23 pm

Lovely sentiment! Congratulations…you are also a poet !

Reply
Great Aunt Ann
22/4/2023 03:19:57 pm

Suzn -You are amazing -This is wonderful beyond words. So well expressed.
Your first child, the first grandchild for your mom and dad and I believe the Bates, the first great grandchild for you Grandmother and Grandfather Morgan clan. It is great to remember Christina as a little girl and someone who grew up, like you, to be a talented lady who has given all who knew her memories to cherish and bring smiles as the days go by even though her early passing saddens all. Let us be thankful that she made this a better world and the pain she suffered here is gone.
God bless you for being able to write so well and sharing this.

Reply
Rhonda Morgan
23/4/2023 06:50:04 pm

Oh my goodness, so very beautiful Suzn. Deeply touched by your poem and your heart.

Reply



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Calgary, AB T2T 6T7


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  • Home
    • About >
      • The History
      • The Mission
      • The Team
      • The Board of Directors
      • Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
      • Our Sponsors
    • Contact
  • Membership
    • Member Showcase >
      • A Poem a Day
      • Two Truths and a Lie
  • Services
    • Current Courses and Workshops >
      • Chapter by Chapter
    • J Michael Fay Subsidy Program
    • ABLit Book Club
    • Annual Writers Retreat
    • Author Development Program
    • Books, Gifts and More...
    • Get Lit Writer Series
    • Manuscript Review Service
    • Many Voices Monthly Writing Contest
    • Writer in Residence Program
    • Writes of Summer - 2023 Short Story Challenge
  • Events
    • When Words Collide 2024