Orphaned Islands (Un)poetry

We always knew one day it would happen
the Christmas card unacknowledged or
returned unopened.
Death after all is inevitable,
follows an inverted bell curve
falling with the shedding of youth and exuberance
then rising with age
and at 89…..

Symmetry :
we were newly together
in our early 20’s,
she in her late 50’s
a brush passing, two evenings in budget accommodation
but somehow we connected
corresponding for 35 years.
We visited her when up North
she called in when South.
Her daughter returned the card with a note.
her mother had died that year aged 89,
on holiday in the tropics,
had always said she wanted one, or the other
and having got both, would be happy she said.

When sadness yielded, we did the maths –
we were now the same age she had been when we met.

It happened 20 years before and
the man who told me, remembered
as an adjunct or preface
to the funeral senior staff were attending.
A fellow, 10 or 11 years retired,
before my time, but emeritus distinguished –
name still spoken with reverence
good at her job and a stickler, but
drank a lot he said,
then, cut the cards and showed the joker,
“ killed a guy one night – drunk driving ”
***&^^*

Realms and rulers
alcohol was king, queen and emperor then
misfortune as a result of, seen as ……. misfortune :
bad luck,
shit happens
especially this one apparently,
impairment’s trifecta – poor visibility and raining
crap timing – almost home.
No shame: no stigma,
“came back to work a couple of days later as if
nothing happened
turning to understanding and sympathy
imagine that today.”

Age: past, present and future
12 years a long time when someone is 13,
the other 25,
more so when the other’s father is 52.
I’m not sure the three ever met – before
they could have,
a father and son might encounter a schoolyard,
or out of uniform pupil.
Perhaps they did, probably didn’t
but that did all meet – sort of : once
circumstances knocked.

Son called on his father early one Sunday
never knew why – had been just the day before
finding him in bed,
he didn’t bother with any shaking,
or CPR – he just knew.
The doctor signed the certificate and called the undertaker –
the former pupil, who gave instructions to his teacher
just the two of them and the third
aged 48, 60 and 87
the years of no significance.