A poem. For a country. And for a friend.
Left
There’s a growing silence in my left ear
I’m missing the highs and losing the lows
Since you let go and left me here
The frequency diminishing
As we drifted through our final year
Now what remains of me
Remains unclear
I used to know precisely where to stand
I’d look to the stars or at the ring on my hand
Or I’d look to you, to see where you found your rest
And position myself
Slightly to the left
I’ve a coldness in one hand, a weakness down one side,
When I check these symptoms
Online I find a thousand lies
You’re just getting older
Or trapped a nerve in your sleep
Or it’s a stroke or a heart attack
Or a deficiency of vitamin D
I’m angry but it comes out slowly
Misdirected and badly aimed
I’ve drifted in and out of you
Across these final days
From standing together to standing alone
The inevitable approach of a change
And one of us left
Somedays it seems like you,
Today I feels like I’m the one no longer here
Either way it’s colder than it was
This time last year
