When dad died,
time stood still.
The racetrack of life
rushed past.
Cocooned
in my grieving bubble,
echoes rebounded,
but nothing
touched
the icy me
within. Shock waves
fizzed and circled,
emotions frozen
inside my
slowly-beating heart.
Loss cried
deep tears of pain,
as reality sidled
noiselessly into
my trembling prison
of disbelief. Despair pattered
relentlessly,
plunging me downwards,
immobilising
leaden-weary limbs. Anger choked and stormed,
enraging social niceties,
churning up my world.Miles travelled along grief’s journey –
sharp twists and turns,
until
soft glimpses of peace
as fond memories
flutter and gleam,
heralding past images’
welcome release.Dark shadows transform
to wistful flickers
of joyful recognition,
held close in
nostalgia’s misty embrace.
© Nicky Clifford, 2016