"A Private Grief"

The man was so proud and so private
He didn't need questions so trite
Or the camera and microphone pointing
To capture his grief and his plight
He had difficulty holding the tears back
His voice was not terribly clear
It broke with an answer forthcoming
His sentiments too sad to hear
He'd just lost his mother to Covid
Her care home had suffered too bad
And now he had lost some one precious
The only sweet mother he had
She'd been a nurse too in her heyday
In those days when care always came first
She'd been horrified it's now a business
With figures and targets perverse
The home had been cruelly infected
Protection had come way too late
Both carers and residents waiting
For the news that reported their fate
So his mother was just one more number
A cross on a roll call of names
One less pension to pay from the coffers
No finger to point any blames
The virus had silently held her
And took away life with it's stealth
The man could not hold his own mother
Could not bring her right back to full health
All he could do was remember
The wonderful mother she'd been
As he watched her eyes close from a distance
And see the nurse moving a screen
And now all the media  gathered
To highlight the home's lack of aid
A mass of flashlights and reporters
An un-sensitive dark cavalcade
Grief is a private emotion
Something no one is privy to share
So the man ran away from the spotlight
To sit in his mothers arm chair
To reflect and to grieve for a moment
And to cherish remarkable years
In private releasing emotions
As he suddenly bursts into tears.

By David Whitney    c 2020

"So Very Blessed"
( a poem about the Corona Virus)

They'd been in love forever
Now she was fighting for her life
The virus crept in silently
And it cut just like a knife
Her breathing was so laboured
Every breath a mammoth task
Her tortured face obscured
By the sad presence of a mask
All he could do was sit and wait
Each hour a living hell
He couldn't sit and hold her
There was no one there to tell
How much he loved his sweetheart
How he couldn't bear to think
That she might slip away from him
Her life now on the brink
He held his head to hide his face
As tears streamed down his cheek
A nurse approached him weeping there
He found it hard to speak
She said that he could see his wife
As there was very little hope
In mask and special clothing
He sat near her and he spoke
He told her that he loved her
And he gently held her hand
He said she had to fight for life
The life they both had planned
Her body heaved a little
The nurse rushed to her bed
The panic shown upon her face
Spoke volumes  she was dead
And lost in grief and sorrow
He prepared to hear the worst
He didn't see her open eyes
Nor feel her touch at first
But slowly she came back to him
And though too weak to speak
The nurse said she was on the mend
The virus passed it's peak
He cried a million tears of joy
His prayers had been addressed
He felt like he had all the world
Their lives so very blessed.
The nurse was also weeping
She'd seen many lose their life
But the tears were tears of happiness
As the man embraced his wife.

The End           by David Whitney   c 2020

To those who live in high rise flats
These times won't last forever
You may not have that garden space
But we'll get through this together
It may seem like a nightmare
You may even shed a tear
You might think this is punishment
Or a time of utmost fear
It might bear on your patience
If you've children in the home
You might feel that you're living this
Completely on your own
Nobody has to be afraid
Though this might be as it seems
It's only for a little while
You'll still realize your dreams
The future is all ours to share
And whilst it's out of reach
We're all sat in the same life boat
All heading for the beach
All longing for our lives again
Though better than before
All praying for a safer world
That beckons from the shore
And as the sun shines down on us
We'll smile and we'll embrace
This time a fleeting memory
Now hope has shown it's face.

By David Whitney    c 2020

"In The Comfort Of Your Heart"

When you lose someone you've always loved
It's difficult to cope
Your memories  loom large as life
And you carry on with hope
They do not see you crying
The grief you cannot bear
You only wish you'd turn around
And see them standing there
Your heart is aching Oh! So much
They were your life and soul
Without them now you're feeling lost
You haven't any goal
Your day's are filled with sadness
Your love's nowhere to go
If only they were back today
You'd say "I love you so"
You'd tell them what they mean to you
You'd hold them close once more
You'd try and stop that last goodbye
That closes every door
But life must take it's journey
And you come to realize
That your loved one's one way ticket
Was deserving of a prize
To enter into Heaven
Where a new life has to start
Not forgotten always present
In the comfort of your heart.

by David Whitney   c 2020

"A Story To Be Told"

It's a Spring we will remember
The good times and the bad
The minutes ticking slowly
In the 'lock down' we all had
Those hours of isolation
Like a prisoner in a cell
Not seeing any loved ones
Or the friends we knew so well
The world outside denied to us
As we obey the rules
A place we took for granted
Just a playground for the fools
We'll all have many memories
Of the times we laughed and cried
We'll all be very mindful
Of the ones who fought and died
And whilst the grief engulfs us
We can learn by our mistakes
The World can be much better
With decisions that it makes
With hope and love we'll do it
For a future without fear
We must be understanding
There's a voice we all can hear
Yes we'll all remember Springtime
When our lives were put on hold
But come the freedom of tomorrow
There's a story to be told.

by David Whitney  c 2020

"When The World Wakes Up Again"

We'll all be celebrating
When the world wakes up again
We'll appreciate the life we had
Without the ball and chain
The streets alive with people
Going about their daily chores
The shops with tempting merchandise
Now opening their doors
The hugs from friends and family
We missed so very much
Those things we took for granted
Out of reach and out of touch
The schools now full of children
Hearing laughter ,playing games
The workers back to work
The sound of aeroplanes trains
Theatres full of people
Vibrant night clubs, cafes, bars
The sports arenas teeming
Roads now woken up with cars
That world we thought had died on us
Now wanting us to think
What we always took for granted
Can be taken in a wink
It's a lesson that we can't ignore
So obvious and plain
We must love one another
When the world wakes up again.

By David Whitney  c 2020

"LEFT UNSAID"
(For parents everywhere who have lost a child)

We remember how you waved goodbye
Your college life ahead
We never thought they'd be no chance
To say things left unsaid
Like how we really loved you
How you made us very proud
How your talent and your presence
Made you stand out in a crowd
We never had an inkling
That behind your smiling face
Was a soul so badly tortured
In a dark and lonely place
Your laughter hid an ocean full
Of worries and despair
We never saw a flicker
Of a life no longer there
If only you had opened up
If only we had knew
The heartache and the worries
You were putting yourself through
We might have saved you from it all
Instead we're now bereft
And grieving as we think of you
For us there's nothing left
You were our world, our everything
The reasons we'd awake
The sunshine in our daily lives
The icing on the cake
You were our one and only child
So every tear we shed
Is a precious crystal memory
Of the things we left unsaid.

by David Whitney   c 2020