That is Her Face Now

That is her face now.

Once it had been flexible as mine,
every wink and smile working a deeper line.
Now, there will be no more wrinkles,
her face won’t move from that sunken howl.
Her lips are parted permanently, retracted
into the deepest corners of her mouth,
sprouts of white hair on her jutted chin.
How it must ache to have that face,
to not even have the luxury of repose.
Her jaw must ache, cocked open like that,
and no one can tell if her ceaseless blinks
are her blessing or her curse.



We visited Jake's Grandmother in the nursing home last night and after we left, she died. This came out this morning. It's not done and I don't know why I'm posting it.

I'm very sorry for your loss, Anna. But you should keep working this piece, it has power.

I agree with Troy keep working this piece. It's very good as it is, but I'm looking forward to see how it ends up.

Sorry for your loss. Aging, for most, is not a pretty or necessarily respected thing in this day and age. You've done a wonderful job of capturing the beauty, IMO, of it. Of course, I tend to view aging and death in a different way than most.

Cher

Thanks, y'all, for the feedback and support. I did not know her well, having only met her twice, but she was so different last night than the other time I met her. Earlier she had some part of herself still present, and her face was not twisted. She had control over her face and body and mouth and even spoke to me, though very little. Yesterday she looked like my great-grandmother, who was squashed and twisted by strokes, but lived on for ten more years.

As far as my own personal grief, I have very little since I didn't know her. This is a big deal for Jake, though, as he really hasn't had any close family members die before. He's handling it well for now, but I recall when my own grandmother died and the ripple effect of grief afterwards. I'll be watching him and doing what I can to support him, of course.

As far as this piece goes, it has occurred to me that I might take it in a prose direction. There is so much in my own mind about aging and dying and this death and my own grandma's five years ago that I'm not sure it can fit into the compactness of poetry. I dunno. Still thinking...

And I know what you mean about dying, Cher.

that saddens me.

i agree regarding the poems not all latent power.

i suggest tucking it away for a time until your emotional connection has waned and when you pull it out again i would love to see it.


peace.

I'm always thrilled to see something new from AB Patterson, and this is no exception. I hope you stick with it, Anna.

My sympathies to Jake.

I love this line:

every wink and smile working a deeper line

I'm very sorry for your loss(es), Anna.