Excepting When My Father Died.

Excepting when my father died
I have been well protected
From the fact of death.
Apart from things like broken loves
No great catastrophe or anything like tragedy
Has ruffled my quite placid walk through life.
Apart from when my very dearest friend
Picked up his father’s gun
And used it very badly
I have not very often
Felt the sharpness of despair.

Returning to my bedroom late last night
I was surprised to see
That like a number of my favourite things
They are not making mirrors like they did.

I did not see my father when he died.
All that I saw was,
Lying on the ground
His covered shape
And when they asked me
What I wished to do
I turned away remembering him alive.
The others saw him – viewed his pallid face
And did not talk with me concerning him
Excepting when my father died.