Friday, May 17, 2013

To Ginny

She lay on the sofa,
A rag doll version
Of her former self.

I wanted to say
Something,
I wanted to do
Something,

But the words
Would sound too
Blunt, their edges
Piercing the delicate
Skin of my daughter.

I wished Sheila was here,
I wish she would
Embrace our progeny
And coo soft words
To her, while I stood
Close by, nodding
And agreeing with
Everything Sheila said.

Sheila was gone,
Lost to us in a sandstorm
Of dust and lust, and
The last I heard she
Was four towns away
Living the life she
Couldn't live with us.

It became too much
For me and I walked
Over to the sofa,
Sinking into the plushness
Beside my Ginny.

She looked at me,
Eyes puffy, nose red,
I embraced her, resting
Her head on my shoulder,
I let her cry, hopefully
The last of her tears.

I let her pain, leak into
Me, I may not have the
Right words, but I have
The right intention.

I know her pain, and
Even though I could
Not remove it,
I could let her know
That someone still
Loved her, still saw
Her as beautiful,
Precious and worthy.

We stayed that way,
Father and daughter,
For most of the night
And when the sobs
Turned to snores,
I carried her to bed.

As I left her room,
I heard her mumble
Through the net of slumber,
"Thank you, daddy."
I nodded and left the room
Quickly, not wanting her
To see the tears in my eyes.

Over a bottle of Jack,
I mourned the loss of
Ginny's innocence and
Her entrance to the world
Of heartbreak, and I prayed
That she would be stronger
Than I ever was.

I raised my glass,
"To Ginny."

14 comments:

Brian Miller said...

ugh...i would hope the same of my children...that they might retain their innocence longer than this world will allow...and the pain of the father in realizing they cant save them...

Kimolisa said...

I think we all hope that children can retain their innocence. I was curious to see that transition from the father's eyes.

Buddah Moskowitz said...

My dear, you've written a quiet masterpiece. You embodied both character in this piece and made them come alive and made me feel their feelings.

To Kimolisa, one of the best writers in the world

(raising an imaginary glass for you)

Kimolisa said...

Thanks Buddah and I raise my glass to you too :D

Mary said...

This was both a poem of heartbreak and one of love. Both emotions come through strongly. The ending was very touching, as the father takes his daughter off to bed. I am glad he comforted her as he did. As much as we would like, we cannot spare our children heartbreak....though we wish we could.

Kimolisa said...

I'm glad that both heartbreak and love came through in this poem, I wanted to express the way a father would feel, especially when he is the only one who could offer comfort. Thanks for reading, Mary

Abruvanamedsly said...

I let her pain, leak into
Me, I may not have the
Right words, but I have
The right intention...


...I let her pain, leak into Me...that line sunk into me as a reader...well penned piece of writing.

Kimolisa said...

Thanks Abruvanamedsly, I'm glad the line resonated with you.

aka_andrea said...

Well this just melted my heart, What a beautiful and aching piece.

Panchali said...

What a soul-stirring piece of writing, Kimolisa...
"I let her pain, leak into
Me, I may not have the
Right words, but I have
The right intention"---Oh, beautifully expressed!
I guess most of the problems come with a solution, the fact remains how we solve it and the right intention is all that matter.... :)))

Anonymous said...

This is so touching, brought tears to my eyes, what a tender moment you have captured in the midst of devastating heart break

Kimolisa said...

Thanks aka_andrea for reading,

That's true, Panchali, some problems come with solutions and the right intention is what really matter,

I'm glad that this poem moved you, mindlovemisery. It actually brought me to tears when I wrote it. I love the poems that make me cry.

Lisa Williams said...

What a touching poem, I have been in the same position, trying to comfort my daughters when they suffered heartbreak. It takes a very special dad to be there in this kind of situation, simply beautiful write.

Kimolisa said...

Thanks Lisa Williams for reading, I think we get caught up with the bigger themes in life and it's these little moments that trip us up and exposes our hearts.

 
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