UNDEFINED
UNDEFINED (a true story)
The morning after the total housefire, 52 years ago, when
the journalist asked the elderly man,
“How do you feel after this tragic, sudden death of your wife?”
I’d expected to hear a few sad words
in response to the intrusive question,
But his unforgettable answer changed my life,
As he stated, “I looked up ‘grief’ in the dictionary
and none of the definitions listed fit what I was feeling.”
In the on-screen, hanging silence
Created by his unexpected response,
The interview ended there, holding on to
a side shot of the old man backing away
— with his new weight from the loss
of home and wife…
As he shrugged his shoulders
While letting go a great sigh, and
To define in that last shown moment,
In universal body language,
The Un-knowing
That may wallow within us
Around our resignation to grow past difficult times,
To venture out again to
Places where things may lay as yet undefined
and, therefore, beyond control…
Where tears may for awhile be our sole recourse
To stand for the words of our sorrows
That we share kneeling in prayer for some
Divine guidance to face the further exigencies of life.
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(c) sally young eslinger 6/ 2024
Copyright © Sally Eslinger | Year Posted 2024
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