We should have put it in his casket next to the lottery ticket
My father died in the hospital
where he held a remote control
the same one he hung on to
while watching TV at home
We hoped it would put him at ease
and give him a sense of control
but there were no new chances
or rewind features
Just pause and mute
Just wait and hope
In the end the channel did change
but he didn’t call for the nurses
The fates played out
His heart gave up
A blood clot
turned his life off
_______Colleen Redman / Poets United
March 5th, 2017 12:12 pm
A very realistic metaphor. I like that the sense of normalcy works to helps cushion the shock of the loss.
March 5th, 2017 12:14 pm
P.S. The link you left at Poets United doesn’t lead to your blog, but back to Poets United.
March 5th, 2017 12:47 pm
I have found how my mother changed to a TV addict (but she ceased to understand the remote control)… Now they just put her in front of the TV and she watch whatever they are showing…
March 5th, 2017 1:20 pm
Colleen, I am so sorry for your loss. I love the sweetness of giving him the remote so he could feel more in charge, one last little bit of perceived control. This is very endearing. The human moments that see us through.
March 5th, 2017 1:35 pm
He died in 2005, but I’m still living out the loss and reviewing how it went down.
March 5th, 2017 1:37 pm
This is so touching…and a likely analogy. So sorry for your loss.
March 5th, 2017 2:18 pm
Am so sorry, for your loss, Colleen, as your poem reminds me, of my dad’s passing, as well. On his last night, I had phoned home, expecting my mom to answer the phone, but my dad and talked for 45 minutes, after I got home, from my afternoon shift. His beloved Toronto Maple Leafs had defeated the Chicago Blackhawks. The next morning, he had a major heart attack and was declared brain dead, by the doctors, at the local hospital. I was the last person that he had talked to, as I got a chance to say, “goodbye” to him, over the phone.
Wish, I could the pain disappears, we both know, it only lessens with the passage of time. This November 15th will mark 19 years, since his passing.
March 5th, 2017 3:15 pm
This is powerful. It truly touched me – thank you for sharing!
March 5th, 2017 4:42 pm
Oh, I am so sorry for your loss. What a beautiful reflection.
March 5th, 2017 6:46 pm
Poignant and touching–this has so much heart in it–and I too, am sorry for your loss
March 5th, 2017 7:07 pm
Whew, sometime the remote control does not work….pause and mute are all that one has left. Sad when this happens to someone one loves. Your very human reflectiveness moved me.
March 6th, 2017 7:27 am
Grief is so overwhelming. A great piece, so moving. I feel it. I read in the comments that he passed away in 2005. I’m so sorry. My father passed in 2008 and my mom in 2009 and it took me years to feel normal. I think of them all the time. Xx
March 6th, 2017 1:03 pm
This is soo poignant.. I am so sorry for your loss.
March 6th, 2017 7:15 pm
I catch the highly poetic irony, but also a sense of abruptness and pain. I am moved, and hope you and friends and family found comfort together.
March 7th, 2017 7:06 am
A moving poem. May poetry continue to help you through this experience.