I held your hand the day you died,
Between the bathroom and bedroom,
On the ground where you lay,
You were cold,
Your eyes had lost their spark,
You were haunted,
I was haunted,
You were present but far removed,
I was cold.

Cold,
Cold ever since,
Empty,
Empty and cold.

I said goodbye the day you died,
As you lay on the cold, hard ground,
Your mouth calling for help,
You were cold,
Your eyes had frozen pain,
You were haunted,
I was haunted,
You were missing but in my sight,
I was cold.

(This poem is dedicated with sadness and regret to the memory of my Grandmother.)

So final,
So harsh,
A full stop to life,
So harsh,
So final.

A coffin,
Wood, nails,
A full stop to life,
Wood, nails,
A coffin.

So final,
So harsh,
A full stop to life,
So harsh,
So final.

I remember the last words uttered on the wind,
For God to forgive every time you sinned,
And to open your dying eyes so that you can see,
And not continue falling saying “bury me”.

I ask you to burn me because it’s hard to dream,
Now that you’ve departed and gone to heavens door,
My heart is full of anguish and my throat full of screams,
It’s an easy option to die for the reality is hard to ignore.

I ask you to burn me because it’s hard to breathe,
My lungs have collapsed, my soul snapped under the strain,
Breaking under the raging tears my blood starts to seethe,
A torturous amount of pain deep within that you never could preordain.

I say a silent prayer in your honour every night,
Before I lay my head to rest with the darkness of the light,
I pray that I’ll remember and never forget your smile,
And hope to stay enchanted by the way you beguiled,
I say to God the words I hate to say,
“Look after my beloved until I come to stay.”

Remember,
Play on bugler,
Remember,
Play on bugler,
Play on.

Coffin,
Swathed in the Union Jack,
And that haunting, heartbreaking tune,
That echoed once at break of moon,
The Last Post is played.

Coffin,
Swathed in the Union Jack,
And that eerie, elegant song,
Now echoes that things have gone wrong,
The Last Post is played.

Remember,
Play on bugler,
Remember,
Play on bugler,
Play on.