Farewell to the Presence
This poem, Farewell to the Presence, draws clear inspiration from one
of Sir Walter Raleigh’s poems. Echoing Raleigh’s elegiac tone and
careful rhythm, it tries to explore the quiet desolation of personal
loss and abandonment in contemporary life. Instead of the grandeur of
a royal court or the isolation of the sea, the poem dwells on the intimate
emptiness left behind in familiar spaces when a loved one is gone. It
hopefully captures the lingering silence that remains after all joy and
presence have departed.
Gone are the steps once known upon this floor,
No chair remains that bears thy weightful trace;
The keys lie still, thy messages no more—
Of all that breathed, the silence keeps its place.
The kettle sings, yet none shall share the steam,
The mirror blinks, but never shows thy face;
Where laughter dwelt now dwells a fractured dream—
Of all that breathed, the silence keeps its place.
The walls hold marks where frames and hands had been,
The bed is made, untouched in measured grace;
My hours drift through flickers of a screen—
Of all that breathed, the silence keeps its place.
And so, I wear the coat left on the rail,
And step through streets that bear a stranger’s pace;
The rain forgets the names it used to hail—
Of all that breathed, the silence keeps its place.
Rolph David
Sun 25th May 2025 11:49
To Yanma and Auracle—
Thank you both deeply for your thoughtful words.
Yanma, your reflections on the imagery and sensory depth meant a great deal to me.
Auracle, your poetic reply was an unexpected and moving gift—"noetic nodes to blind" will stay with me.
Regards,
Rolph
And to those who liked Farewell to the Presence—John Coopey, hugh, Holden Moncrieff, Hélène, Manish, Auracle, and Yanma—thank you for your support. Your appreciation gives the silence in the poem a gentle echo.
With gratitude,
Rolph