Just the other day he thought of you,
you know how certain songs on the radio
always remind him of people, their stories,
it began to bother him how his family so easily
lost each other, so far gone. He had to be
reminded that he was to blame for some of
the distance he chose to create between them.
Using the word family makes him feel funny
when he describes you, him, and the rest who
only manage to find each other for a funeral .
Sometimes that day comes, a meal is shared
between you all and a moment for awkward
reflection on the best ones who passed away.
When summer comes, he remembers you all
running wild at the shore, baseball in the sand,
diving through the waves together, ping pong,
hide and seek in the backyard with flashlights.
Meals of scallops, clams, shrimp, flounder,
potato salad, baked beans, ears of corn,
blueberries, cantaloupes and watermelon.
He thinks about how they always talked
about what they wanted to be, instead they
should have spoken of what they didn’t want to be.
But never for a moment did they realize that one day
they’d become complete and total strangers.
Until of course the next funeral comes along,
where they’ll stand on a porch or deck, drinking
a beer together. Telling a story, regretting,
but never figuring out how to get back together.
Too much going on, too busy with life’s daily
hassles to find a way to get it all together, again.
However they continue to find the time to
always manage to get together to grieve,
carry a casket, and hug one another
after many years without a word between them.
you know how certain songs on the radio
always remind him of people, their stories,
it began to bother him how his family so easily
lost each other, so far gone. He had to be
reminded that he was to blame for some of
the distance he chose to create between them.
Using the word family makes him feel funny
when he describes you, him, and the rest who
only manage to find each other for a funeral .
Sometimes that day comes, a meal is shared
between you all and a moment for awkward
reflection on the best ones who passed away.
When summer comes, he remembers you all
running wild at the shore, baseball in the sand,
diving through the waves together, ping pong,
hide and seek in the backyard with flashlights.
Meals of scallops, clams, shrimp, flounder,
potato salad, baked beans, ears of corn,
blueberries, cantaloupes and watermelon.
He thinks about how they always talked
about what they wanted to be, instead they
should have spoken of what they didn’t want to be.
But never for a moment did they realize that one day
they’d become complete and total strangers.
Until of course the next funeral comes along,
where they’ll stand on a porch or deck, drinking
a beer together. Telling a story, regretting,
but never figuring out how to get back together.
Too much going on, too busy with life’s daily
hassles to find a way to get it all together, again.
However they continue to find the time to
always manage to get together to grieve,
carry a casket, and hug one another
after many years without a word between them.
3 comments:
This is very heartfelt. I mean, I am going through the same from the past couple of years. It is so hard to manage good relationships in a large family. Or, even in a small family, I suppose. Loved your post!!! Brought back a lot of memories!!!
well captured how easy to lose touch but how when you do come together there is still something there. my cousins are the other side of europe and did not meet them till in my thirties so I've had it the other way round.
i know exactly what you're writing about. the longer the silence the longer it will continue. Life is too short,
I know I have been there.
Regards.
Yvonne.
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