TRIPTIC IN MEMORIUM

(Part 1)
TEARS

A heart attack!
Dear God, not
mine, though I would
rather that it be.
What do I do if
He takes her
from me?
Blockage, calcium,
I thought women her age
were supposed to take
extra. Its supposed
to be helpful for the bones; it
may just kill her.
“Sir? Is this your wife?”
A nurse?
“The doctor is waiting for you, she’s all done.
She’ll be fine, right this way.”
On my face
tears.

(Part 2)
THE MIRACLE OF SLEEP

You slept in my arms last night,
And I kissed the top of your head;
I felt on my chest your small sleep smile,
Did you feel me laying beside you in bed?

As I drifted in your soft fresh scent
Your gentle breathing tickled on my chest;
But our hearts beating in compliment to
each other,
That is what I think felt the best.

Your hands lay there on my stomach,
And the warmth contrasted with the cool
sheet;
I had to smile to myself as I remembered
How earlier I rubbed so much to warm your
feet.

The weight of your leg felt so natural
As it pressed heavily down on my thigh:
Finally, I felt again contentment and at
peace,
And you moved slightly as I let out a sigh.

But this morning the miracle evaporated
from my life,
When I woke and your face I expected to
see;
And I knew you watched over me from so
far, far away;
I would swear last night was real, yet how
could that be?

(Published Collage. Ed. Jaz Gray. Middle Tennessee State University. Spring (April), 2010.)

(Part 3)
A Lovers Prayer

Dear God,
I want the pain to stop.

I want to hold her in my arms,
Tell her I love her one more time,
That I will keep her safe forever,
And not let that be an unknown lie.

I want to sleep a restful sleep,
Dreaming without waking to cry,
Not of screaming at her to lock the doors,
And if she really loves me she won’t die.

I want to see her in my sleep,
The way she was before it all ended,
Beautiful and vibrant with love and life,
Not hooked to machines her life suspended.

I want to touch her hand and feel warm flesh,
The way it felt the day we first met and loved,
To remember her lips as we kissed our first kiss,
Not the kiss goodbye I only pray she knows I gave.

I want the pain to stop.
Amen.

In Loving Memory of
Patricia JZH Forman
December 1, 1956 – November 4, 2008


c. September 9. 2009
Matthew E. Forman
As stand-alone works:
TEARS c. October 16, 2008
THE MIRACLE OF SLEEP c. January 11, 2009
A LOVER’S PRAYER c. July 21, 2009

ONE

As through this life I wander
Often I sit and ponder,
If there will ever be
One to journey beside me.

One who will share the open road
One who’ll let me help carry the load,
One to help and ease my mind
One to share God’s gifts we find.

Will I know her when I look in her eyes
Will we share many glorious sunset skies?
Will she understand the words I write
Or know the ghosts that haunt my night?

So through this life I still wander
And so often I still sit and ponder,
As I journey lonely and free
Perhaps this is how God intends it to be.

c. September 2, 1998
Matthew E. Forman