Xeno Hemlock

I want to curse Time for taking you too soon,
denying you Christmas and next year’s June.
I want to hate the weather for raining today
because the last thing I need is a world that’s gray.
I want to shut the people, their voices annoy.
Instead I wish to hear the voice of a boy.
I want to denounce science, for despite knowing all,
it couldn’t save you from fading, couldn’t stop your fall.

I want to burn the churches, my prayers went unheard
but the choir still goes on along the chirping of birds.
I want to cut my heart out because it hurts to feel.
How can I accept that you’re gone for real?
I want to take my eyes out for I can no longer cry.
Tears have gone dry for this unexpected goodbye.
I want to have amnesia and forget that night
you flew up to heaven, into the divine light.

But what good will it do me and my memory of you
if I live in anger after we say adieu?
If my last image of you is a great masterpiece,
I’ll make it a picture of love and bliss.
I want to remember not your sadness but your delight.
I want to remember not your pain but your might.
I want to remember not your frown but your smile,
that your short life on Earth was all worthwhile.

I want to remember your angelic face,
laughter, spirit, and warm embrace.
I want to remember your name with peace
so anger and resentment, I shall release.
Dear nephew I was lucky to have you in my life.
See you again sometime in the afterlife.
Until then with every sunshine I will recollect
your golden memories, I will not disconnect.

“Too Soon” is one of the poems in the anthology The Lion Eating the Sun. It was originally published on December 28, 2017.

Photo by Nikita Khandelwal from Pexels

Birthed fom the clouds of dust, cats, Pokémon, Survivor, and philosophy, this poetry collection tells stories of life, love, and loss. This book also contains elements from the author’s other works and upcoming second novel.

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