Stephen Berwaldt (in his own words): “I live in Massachusetts.I am currently semi-employed…that sounds better than unemployed…but I am by occupation, a remodeling contractor…a very good one, I might add…so would my mother, if she could speak from wherever she is… 🙂 I have only been writing for two years, so no blogs…I can be found on Gather.
“Vestiges”
It might be a tilt of head
or
a stranger’s smile –
an inadvertent passing-by of a favorite place
she loved to visit when time allowed –
perhaps
her dried-rose bookmark left
in her favorite book
you took up to read again
just to imagine her voice
reading every word –
a snapshot found
while searching for scissors
to snip that loose thread off the cuff of your shirt –
a picture of her smiling just for you
eyes ablaze with love
or
riding down the road listening to
Nat King Cole crooning
“Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”
on the radio
in his rich, sultry voice
that always made tears well up
and flow gently down her cheeks
it’s the innocuous things –
the small details that
no one else noticed but you –
that bring sweet flood of memories to your heart
a misting in your eyes –
a lump in your throat
the ache as fresh as if bereaved just yesterday
O,
how we miss the ones
we’ve loved and lost
and love still
Daily Response: Please post your favorite line(s) in the comments.
Kimberly Blackadar 
Stephen~
These are my favorite lines:
it’s the innocuous things –
the small details that
no one else noticed but you –
This is an excellent tribute. I really enjoyed the poem, so thanks for letting me sharing it on my blog.
~Kimberly
Still tingling from that rapturous poem.
I felt the same way…and that is why I wanted to post it! 🙂
My favorite line is “Nat King Cole crooning”, and I am so happy to experience the music from his past and the great music from his daughter (Natalie) today.
Yes, Darlenes, hIs music, like Stephen’s poetry, stirs up the emotions.
Hi Stephen ~ such a momentous and magnificent tribute. It is hauntingly beautiful capturing the very scenes anyone bereaved would identify with, even I am deeply touched by your sensitive memories of a loved one. I have not lost a loved one as yet ~ I hope I will be able to write a tribute as loving and powerfully as you have here.
And Stephen, I believe you have huge natural talent as a writer and poet 🙂
Keep up the good work !!
Yes, he has a natural talent, Marianne…and so do you! 🙂