In Memory's Absence
Who lies within this sterile room bound by shadows of the past?
A man confined by time’s cruel grasp.
His memories lost like leaves that flee
From thirty years, no trace to see.
He gazed at faces, strange and new,
Children once loved, he no longer knew.
But then she came- a face from the past-
A love forgotten now surfaced at last.
Her steps were soft, her heart unsure,
For the years of silence she'd endured.
Yet as he saw her, his tears did flow
A memory stirred from long ago.
He reached for her hand, though words were few
And mumbled sounds she almost knew.
Her name escaped his memory yet his soul spoke clear,
“Do not leave me; stay near, stay near.”
She held his hand; his grip was tight,
A tether to love through the endless night.
In his sleep, he found his peace,
But her heart wrestled, longing for release.
For decades past, she craved his care
A love unspoken, a bond laid bare.
But now, with time’s cruel sleight of hand,
He clung to her, a broken man.
The life he’d lived was gone, erased,
Yet here was love she’d once embraced.
She wondered if fate’s cruel jest was kind
To leave him whole or trapped in time.
A lesson gleamed from pain and years,
Through fleeting joy and endless tears:
Love unspoken can fade away,
But true hearts linger, come what may.
Do not withhold the love you feel
For life moves swiftly, its hands won’t heal.
Let each embrace, each word, each day,
Reflect the love you’d give away.
So, as she sat by his frail bedside
Her heart spoke truths she’d long denied.
For even if time erases all,
The heart remembers love’s first call.
About this poem
The poem tells the poignant story of a man who, after a hemorrhagic stroke, loses his past 30 years of memories, including recognition of his children and family. However, when an old love—the mother of his children—visits him in the hospital, his emotional connection to her resurfaces. Though he doesn't remember her name or their shared history, his tears and actions reveal the deep love he once felt for her. She is torn between wishing for his recovery, which could erase this rekindled affection, or wanting him to remain in this state, where the love she craved long ago is finally expressed. The poem delivers an important message: to express love openly and cherish connections in the present, as life and time are unpredictable, and unspoken love can be lost to regret. The poem was inspired by real events after the father of my children suffered a stroke in 2021. more »
Written on December 07, 2024
Submitted by marguerite_a on December 08, 2024
- 1:40 min read
- 799 Views
Quick analysis:
| Scheme | AXBB CCAA XXDD CCEE FFGG HHXX IIXX JJKK LLKK MMNN |
|---|---|
| Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
| Characters | 1,605 |
| Words | 334 |
| Stanzas | 10 |
| Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Translation
Find a translation for this poem in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"In Memory's Absence" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 22 Mar. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/209173/in-memory's-absence>.
Discuss the poem In Memory's Absence with the community...
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In