Another one from the vaults

I don't do poetry. I never have. I don't have a reason, just that prose always seemed more...precise. The young me thought that poetry, with it's limitless imagery and apparent lack of form or rules or quality control (!) was a lazy way of expressing things. Like text speak - short form for what you really mean.

Now I know that some poetry has as many, if not more, rules than prose, and is by no means lazy expression. It might even be the only way of truly capturing some states of emotion. But I don't really know anything about it so I've never tried.

The only thing I've written that's approaching poetic in terms of form and style, is what I am about to post here.

I wrote it - or rather, it forced it's way out of me onto the page, against my will - just before I got married about a year and a half ago. My mum died three years ago and her absence seemed heightened by the approaching nuptials to the point where I  was worried it would be the elephant in the room and would stop people enjoying themselves....So I decided that if anyone should tackle the problem head on, it should be me, thereby getting it out of the way so that the other people who made speeches didn't have to worry about it. My dear husband agreed to read it out, as I knew I wouldn't get through it.

Although it's hardly Keats, and probably doesn't follow any poetic rules, it sort of said what I needed to say at the time and for that I am proud of it.

It's called: What did I miss?

I can see her now, awaking from sleep,

And the first words on her lips, “What did I miss?”

I’ll say “Not much really,” but she won’t believe me.

Because the years will have passed, but it might go like this:

Well mum, I married the man of my dreams.

“Oh I knew that would happen,” she would say, “What else?”

Dad moved to Cyprus, “Without me?! How dare he?!”

Jase had a baby, “Wow that was a first!” With a poke in the ribs.

Haha mum, you’re so funny. “What else? What else?”

Well, we watched this old system buckle and groan,

We did our best not to falter, although we missed you so,

We laughed and drank, and cried some too,

And so much love was shown for you, and because of you.

And although on my wedding day, I knew you would have looked the best,

I was content just knowing you were at rest.

Because safe with my Nicholas I knew the days would fly by,

Until you could wake up and say, with a smile on your lips,

“Tell me, tell me – what did I miss?”