Daydreaming at the pink clouds during a sunrise through my window
Gazing at the reflections of neighborhood life in the lake
Hearing the whisper of the summer breeze
Smelling the sweetness of pine tree sap
You seem to be there in each of these moments
That gray plastic cassette tape
The old ‘80s Chinese music, with muted wooden beats
I can almost hear your soft, honey voice humming along to the melody
But as all pink sunrise clouds turn white
And all songs in cassette tapes end
Sadly our time is short, we have to say goodbye
It all ended with the text I received during lunch
My friends’ laughter echoing through the fourth floor hall
But the world seemed silent, time seemed to stop
As I processed the news that you are gone, all feelings were numb
An ocean away
It’s such a shame,
I was never there to say goodbye
Or even an “I love you” one last time
While the whole world moved at the speed of light
You taught me to slow down and notice the hidden joys of life
While the cold world was a fierce competition
You showed me that the cold world can be warmed with kind hearts and patience
So while you may be gone and the world seems cruel,
You are still here with me, reminding me to take life gratefully
Apr 27, 2022
Apr 27, 2022 at 11:12 AM UTC
Daydreaming at the pink clouds during a sunrise through my window
Gazing at the reflections of neighborhood life in the lake
Hearing the whisper of the summer breeze
Smelling the sweetness of pine tree sap
You seem to be there in each of these moments
That gray plastic cassette tape
The old ‘80s Chinese music, with muted wooden beats
I can almost hear your soft, honey voice humming along to the melody
But as all pink sunrise clouds turn white
And all songs in cassette tapes end
Sadly our time is short, we have to say goodbye
It all ended with the text I received during lunch
My friends’ laughter echoing through the fourth floor hall
But the world seemed silent, time seemed to stop
As I processed the news that you are gone, all feelings were numb
An ocean away
It’s such a shame,
I was never there to say goodbye
Or even an “I love you” one last time
While the whole world moved at the speed of light
You taught me to slow down and notice the hidden joys of life
While the cold world was a fierce competition
You showed me that the cold world can be warmed with kind hearts and patience
So while you may be gone and the world seems cruel,
You are still here with me, reminding me to take life gratefully
From my poetry collection "Calls of the Magpie and Eagles" that I submitted for a Taiwanese Poetry contest.
The poem title was originally in mandarin but this website won't let me use mandarin words for some reason so... yea
This poem is dedicated to my grandma. The last time I saw her was five years ago and I did not get to say my final goodbye in person nor was I able to go to her funeral because I was in America and she was in Taiwan. Hopefully this poem can reach her and let her know that I love her and value her. She was such a simple minded person and lived life treasuring each day and every little thing about life. I hope that I can be like her and eventually learn how to live a peaceful and grateful life.
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