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caught in the twilight
a poem for my grandfather
caught in the twilight
he is betwixt and between
this world and the next
his crusty veteran’s spirit
still fighting, grasped tightly
we have given permission
we are long-distance calling,
summoning all angels
carry him home.
About this poem: Written in March 2009 during the last few difficult months of my grandfather’s five-year long illness, I was trying to capture the feeling of desperately wishing a loved one to be free of suffering and out of pain. My grandfather was a World War II veteran who served for nearly four years in Italy and Africa, and this seemingly unending battle seemed like a final fight that he was determined not to lose. I’m not an overly religious person, but I remember praying to deceased relatives (who didn’t seem to be paying much attention to our earthly concerns) as a plea for them to help give him eternal peace. They finally did, nearly four months after this was written.
