For Bob
the picture-postcard ironstone
village idyll is forever soured,
the quaint cottages dulled, tainted
turning red gold to rust decaying
slowly as now do you, the selfless
nurse now being nursed, a spouse
not yet two-years in the ground
leaving you to embrace interludes
of pain, tears, grief and making-do,
as your cancer slowly masticates
a favourite song coats your lips
like warm poison as you half-whisper
‘I’m only half the man I used to be’
and those of us who know you best
concur you’re twice the man
we ever were.
© Graham Sherwood (from the collection 'Kin')
Rolph David
Sat 8th Feb 2025 16:03
Dear Graham,
Your poem "For Bob" is deeply moving. The way you capture both the physical and emotional decay, from the village to the man himself, is devastating and beautifully honest. The transformation from selfless nurse to someone in need of care is so poignant, and the line “you’re twice the man we ever were” stays with me. It’s a powerful reflection on resilience, love, and the quiet strength that often goes unnoticed until it’s tested by pain.
Regards,
Rolph