Just For A While Poem by Cressida Leigh

In a time when everything is stood still
There's a constant reminder that life goes on.
Clocks tick, traffic flows, and hearts beat.

The emptiness will pass too soon;
Giving way to gasping grasps of breath,
Rattling brains too full of memories;
Photographs and keepsakes searched for and clutched tightly.

And then, family will gather to say their goodbyes.
Flying in the face of grief they'll put on their smiles
And bravely remember the dead.

But here in the immediacy of it all, we're still, quiet.
No coping strategies, just numb. Waiting.
But clocks tick, and traffic flows, and hearts beat,
And the world goes on, oblivious.

Here in the quiet is where I'll stay awhile.
Not mourning, not yet. Just alone with my thoughts.
And the ticking. And the cars racing by.
And my own heartbeat; a gentle reminder that life goes on
Despite mine having stopped here, just for a while.