'We regret to inform you ..........' - searing words, heart-splintering.
Shrouded in disbelief I sat motionless, senses numbed
My mind a cauldron of seething anger.
'Why him?' I cried out in my grief
That body - virile, lithe - hurtled into oblivion
Shattered as a precious vase,
Its jagged fragments strewn.
In zombied daze I went about my daily tasks,
Admitted callers
Heard their fumbling words of comfort,
Read letters - so well-meant,
Received floral sprays and ribboned wreaths, condolence-tagged
The office staff had sent.
How could they understand
Who had not trod this thorn-pierced path?
More words I listened to, of resurrection hope,
In joyless voice intoned.
More sympathetic tears and helpful guidance down the aisle
Then at the chapel door a stranger stood and grasped my hand
No word he spoke but just a reassuring squeeze
A nodding of the head
As if to say - 'I know'.
