On that rattling train
and rocky bus
you went
with your mother
to the sanatorium
where your father
was shafted
with cancer
the bus
made you travel sick
the long drive upward
was lined with trees
and tall grass
the building
a one storey affair
rigid and unfriendly
stood silently there
you walked down
long white corridors
the smell added
to your sickness
the passing of rooms
and windows
and silence
mother said nothing
carry hope
in her handbag
and you waited
for the first sight
of your father
since he’d left home
a short while before
and there he was
in pyjamas
and maroon dressing gown
and slippers
pale faced
an old man
imitating
your father
death winged
and narrow shouldered
he stood
attempting a smile
the cancer his companion
creeping beside him
there was greeting
and exchange
of kiss and hug
and you taking in
the wasting away
the lines on features
the grey hair
turning white
the hanging on clothes
he took you
to a room
where you all
sat alone
given up smoking
he said
too late I know
but it gives me
the final word
mother sat
and talked of him
and home
and the other kids
and the pet dogs
missing him
and you sat silent
seeking the right words
the thoughts muddled
the sight of him
a shock
how are you?
he asked
he’s travel sick
mother said
o that’s bad
he said gently
as though it mattered
in the range of things
the smell of death
and decay
the last goodbye
seeing him no more
beyond that day.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem