I have lost you so suddenly
I need to catch my breath
For a moment, you were all.
There was never a dull moment,
In that strength I called love.
There was always a way in
You made your own way out.
The smallest thread could pull me apart
And I am unraveling in your arms.
Little but you.
Softly but you.
But you, but you.
So here I go,
Only a few steps astray,
From the love I’ve lost
And the life you gave away.
JBW
I wrote this poem at least 20 years ago. Of course, it has been edited and re worked several times. But the bones and the message are still there. The same as they were 20 years ago. I think when you write about something when it is still so fresh and vulnerable, you can still feel it resonate years and years later. I feel a little broken hearted every time I read it. To me, that’s what makes a good poem.
A Dead Language 