A Single Tear

This is a poem I wrote last year during the campaign ‘Be A Friend.’

It’s to highlight the loneliness in elderly people who have so much to talk about, given the chance. It’s something that I find very upsetting and was moved to write about it.

A Single Tear

Each day you see me sitting here,
As you hurriedly pass me by,
You don’t see me shed a single tear,
If you did I’d tell you why.

The tear is for when my father died,
Leaving no one to bring home the bread,
So I left school while my mother cried,
And worked hard to keep my family fed.

The tear is for when I gave my heart,
To the prettiest girl in town,
We vowed that we would never part,
As she shone in her white wedding gown.

The tear is for my fallen buddies,
All lost on the beach that day,
We fought so you could wear your hoodies,
And always have your say.

The tear is for the horrors I saw,
And wish I could unsee,
For the innocents killed in that terrible war,
In order for you to be free.

The tear is for my first born,
A child such a special gift,
Who I held in my arms that fine spring morn,
A child I’ve now outlived.

The tear is for my beautiful wife,
Lost long before she died,
She forgot who I was, the love of my life,
Though I know she still loved me inside.

The tear is for when nobody calls,
My company just the tv,
For my lovely home sold to fund these four walls,
Where nobody really sees me.

So if I shed a single tear,
As you hurriedly pass me by,
I’ve so much to say, I’ve lived many a year,
Just ask me… and I’ll tell you why.

(copyright Cate Hayes Sept 2015)