Rooms I Once Knew
A poem about grief and the quiet emergence of a new life.
I have known my bedroom
my living room
my kitchen
Now I no longer recognize them
You are not there
.
I have known my house
my land
my neighbourhood
Now I know no one
You are not there
.
I have known my local area
my municipality
my region
Now I am rootless
You are not there
.
I have known our language
the one we spoke between us
among friends
Now I am voiceless
You are not there
.
I try to find a voice
a language to speak of you
to find new friends
I must learn to speak
In order to preserve you
.
I must find a new region
I seek a new municipality
A place that might become my new local area
To find a harbour
Where a gentle rocking greets you
.
I must search for a new neighbourhood
A new ground for my life
Where my future house will stand
To get to know people again
And live on without you
.
I will cook in a new kitchen
Sit in my living room and watch the rain
I will sleep in my bedroom
With a new beloved
But never forget you.
----------------------------------------------------------
Author’s Note:
The future is present in every moment that follows after a loved one dies. Life must be lived, and the past not forgotten, but neither should it paralyze me. My beloved died on October 28th, 2024, and slowly my existence is changing. New possibilities are opening, shaped by many easy and difficult choices alike.
About the Creator
Henrik Hageland
A poet, a writer of feelings and hope. A Dane and inhibitant of the Earth thinking about what is to come.
A good story told or invented. Human all the way through.
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'20/20'
"Do It Again" the track that would ultimately open the Beach Boys final album on Capitol Records which was released on February 10th 1969 had originally been released as a single in August of 1968. The track was the first of many post-Pet Sounds era throwbacks to the early Beach Boys sound which would become continually more cliched and eventually lead the Beach Boys to the level of self-parody they would eventually succumb to in the 1980s while their closest contemporaries The Beatles nearing the end of their run in 1969 would go on to be viewed as the most influential band of all time. However, the song itself is not bad on its surface, and it opens with a futuristic sounding (for 1969) drumbeat captured by then-Beach Boys engineer Stephen Desper using tape delays on the drums performed by Dennis Wilson and John Guerin. The song has been re-recorded numerous times over the years on various Beach Boys-related projects most notably the 2011 re-recording at Capitol studios featuring the five surviving Beach Boys at the time backed instrumentally by various members of both the Brian Wilson Band and Mike Loves touring "Beach Boys" to promote the then upcoming Beach Boys 50th Anniversary reunion tour in 2012. The hammering and power drill sound at the end of the song was an excerpt from a track called "Workshop" that was to be a part of the uncompleted "SMiLE" album.
By Sean Callaghan7 days ago in Beat
Comments (10)
So sad yet beautiful ✍️🏆🙏
I am so sorry for your loss, this is a beautiful piece on what it means to rebuild your life after it is torn apart by grief. 😢
Your poem reminded me of a book I read recently, "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis, which talks about the pain and suffering of loss. Your poem ends with a hope to look forward to. This is a beautiful poem.
I'm so sorry for your loss. This is a beautiful poem. Definitely relate as we're coming up on a year since my mother passed and I'm still trying to figure out how I live in a world without her <3
It's a beautiful poem. So sorry to read about your loss
This moved me to tears. I love the turnaround at the end. Many blessings!
Oh Henrik, you give me hope, ya know that?
You have got this Henrick, it will just take time for the wounds to heal. They are never forgotten; we just learn how to deal with them.
Losing a loved one is tough. You're right about moving forward while holding onto memories. I've been through something similar.
Beautiful poem. I'm so sorry for your loss, but it's great to know you are looking at ot like it's a new chapter.