The Empty Chair

The Empty Chair

Seeking depth, one finds only shallow language
To convey emotion of the vacant chair.
Quiet prayers quell the usual celebration
The silence deafens

Memory jogged by the yellow ribbon
Tied to the empty chair, recollections
Steeped in love, inundate, scuttle the mind
Take away one’s breath

In denial, through fear, reality abated
One pretends the unfilled chair doesn’t matter
A stoic posture hides the pain of parenthood
Pushing tears inward

Soft table talk, reminiscences of a son,
A fine father, honor the chair not taken
Singing praises, reserved for a cherished child
Sacred and holy

Worried and uneasy, the Thanksgiving table frowns
Then smiles, remembers the face in the empty chair;
A father, a son, a brother, a loving man
Off to war again

KBris 2005