Aftermath – (Covid 19)

The telephone conversation ends with his tears

an elderly Jack or Jim, 

sobbing to a stranger 

 

while we chat, I probe gently

for factual detail about the love of his life

names, spellings, dates, years

stale statistics representing a lifetime of existence

 

my question, ‘tell me about her?’ 

prompts an outpouring of lost emotion

opening a window into two lives intertwined with love 

and companionship 

disappearing slowly within his solitary grief

 

‘she was the best, a hardworking lass -

we never had children but we had each other

and that was enough’

 

he sat with her for a while afterwards

it was comforting to think of her asleep

no longer fighting for every breath

 

distant family members have telephoned often

warm-hearted neighbours wave from a safe distance

bringing food to sustain him in his isolated anguish

 

I grieve for every Jack, Jim and Tommy,

every Marjorie, Vera and Florence 

and for Phil, our cheerful taxi driver

and Pete, the old piano man, all sacrificed

a forgotten generation paying a heavy price

 

on Thursday night my applause was for the fearless carer 

who didn’t hesitate to listen to Jack, 

who took a chance and wrapped his grief within in her arms

 

at the funeral he was composed

listening intently to every word of their story

we didn’t make it to ten mourners, 

age and health creating an extra barrier,

 

a webcast helped to spread the message of remembrance, 

the importance of acknowledgement, recognition 

and all that really matters in the end

of being, of caring and of loving our fellow-man.