Surviving Your Generation Poem by Willem VanVoorthuysen

Your loved one died,
the first, the last,
the only woman
you ever knew,
a gift from God...

you thought at first
you wouldn't survive,
but you did, too long,
in growing loneliness,
remorse and pain...

You tried to tell your children
about the devastating trial
you underwent, and hoped
that they would understand,
but very few did...

You tried to bridge
the deepening gaps
between three generations,
you listened to hard rock
but yearned for Vienna Waltzes...

You vainly tried to stay in touch
with brothers, sisters, cousins,
Army buddies, Navy mates,
old friends and colleagues,
by e-mail, snailmail, phone...

Where have they gone,
your peers, your playmates
in days of 'wine and roses'?
They would have understood
what obsolescence means...