mt. vernon, qingming 2013
It has been a busy week again, plus I am still in with NapoWriMo. This effort is from Day 3.
Photo by dsnake1
mt. vernon, qingming 2013
every year i am here
with the flowers and incense
to clean your grave
to clean that portrait
in the marble
that had smiled at me
all these years
i do not cry now
perhaps time has helped
but as always
i call your name
sometimes i bring a beer
light a cigarette
do the things we did
the sky today
is a shade of battle grey
yet a sun peeks out
its rays bathing your face
it is time to go then
i hesitate, i touch
that marble again
03/04/2013
**********
Notes: During the Qingming Festival, the Chinese people visit the graves and burial grounds of their ancestors, sweep and clean the tombs, and make offerings of food, tea, joss sticks and paper.
Shared on Poetry Pantry #147 at Poets United
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2013
Photo by dsnake1
mt. vernon, qingming 2013
every year i am here
with the flowers and incense
to clean your grave
to clean that portrait
in the marble
that had smiled at me
all these years
i do not cry now
perhaps time has helped
but as always
i call your name
sometimes i bring a beer
light a cigarette
do the things we did
the sky today
is a shade of battle grey
yet a sun peeks out
its rays bathing your face
it is time to go then
i hesitate, i touch
that marble again
03/04/2013
**********
Notes: During the Qingming Festival, the Chinese people visit the graves and burial grounds of their ancestors, sweep and clean the tombs, and make offerings of food, tea, joss sticks and paper.
Shared on Poetry Pantry #147 at Poets United
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2013
Labels: landscape, lovesongs, NaPoWriMo, Poetry, qing ming, Remembrance, Singapore
posted by dsnake1 at 10:26 PM
16 Comments:
Heart touching, but hopeful also..
thank you, Vandana. :)
I like the tradition. I'd like to participate but never have before. I live so far away.
I felt this piece. Lovely.
Beautiful feeling in this. Great write.
This is beautiful! I feel a familiar sadness in your words as it brings to mind the loss of one of my best friends. It does leave me with a feeling of hope though, so nice.
This poem is very poignant. I like the idea of this kind of remembering, of doing the old familiar things before touching the marble and going....
Stormcat,
to the Chinese diaspora, it is a major festival. :)
McGuffy Ann.
thank you! :)
Anthony,
thanks!
Lisa,
yes, it's sad, but we have to live on.
Mary,
thank you. unconsciously, we are delaying, as we may want to spend a bit more time before going back to the issues of the day.
familiar...the touching of the name on the grave...wanting to feel close again...one last time...and then another the next time...the remembering....nice verse man...
thank you, Brian.
you're right about "wanting to feel close again".
But remembering can be done at any time, in any place - not just once a year...
thank you, Jinksy, for your comment. :)
True, remembering can be done at any time, any place. what i am describing is a Chinese tradition. It is a time for the living to pay their respects to their dearly departed. It is usually a family affair, when family members gather to clean the graves of their ancestors , to give prayers and offerings.
right on target
ZQ
thank you, ZQ! :)
This is so touching and so beautiful. My grandmother died around the time I was to give birth to my daughter I couldn't attend the funeral and when I went to visit the grave I couldn't locate it because the funeral home hadn't placed any markers not even the temporary ones. I moved over seas and I feel sort of like I never had the chance to really pay my respects. I think this is a beautiful tradition.
thank you, mindlovemisery.
so sorry to hear about the loss of your grandmother.
i think each culture has their own way of remembering their departed. some traditions should be observed, like qingming. it let us remember where we came from.
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