Husband Death Poem

How Life Changes After A Loved One Dies

W H Auden wrote the poem Stop All The Clocks with reference to a loved one dying - I didn't need to stop all the clocks after my husband died - they stopped of their own accord.

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Patricia, You are indeed a friend - a very good friend indeed. Thank you for always being there for me. Love and very best wishes, Ann

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The Clocks Have All Stopped

Published by Family Friend Poems October 25, 2024 with permission of the Author.

(He used to wind them
once a week.)

A dark oak clock
on the mantlepiece
stands bleak
above an empty grate
once a source
of warmth and light.

There is a slight glow
from the clock
on his desk
made of gilded brass
a farewell gift
from his final post.

The grandfather clock
a valued antique
stands silent in the hall
no further chimes
no pendulum swings
hands don't move any more.

The only sound left
is the faintest tick
from a well-worn watch
with its military band
a familiar fixture on his wrist
I now hold it in my hand.

ABOUT THE POET:

Ann D. Stevenson only began writing after she retired, when she joined a Writing for Well-Being course. It was during a difficult time, as her husband had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She found writing very therapeutic, more especially poetry. It was a real boost to her morale when Family Friend Poems began publishing her poems.
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Has this poem touched you? Share your story!

by Patricia A Fleming, Trenton
2 weeks ago

It's as if for you time stopped the moment he was gone. Maybe you're afraid that if you wind those clocks it will mean you moved on and maybe you're not ready, maybe you feel it would be a betrayal of him if you did move on. It's amazing the things we do to somehow keep them with us. I remember when my Mom died and my dad was so lost. Once when I was there cleaning, I saw my moms pj's folded on the end of the bed. I put them in the drawer. When I came the next time, those pj's were right back on the end of the bed. When he passed 7 months later, my mom's pocketbook was still hanging on the dining room chair and had $126 in it. He never touched it. I'm glad you write about your husband in different ways because it keeps him here not just for you, but all of us. Your friend Pat

by Ann D. Stevenson, Gloucestershire, UK Poet
2 weeks ago

Patricia, You are indeed a friend - a very good friend indeed. Thank you for always being there for me. Love and very best wishes, Ann

by Ann D. Stevenson, Gloucestershire, UK Poet
6 months ago

Thank you, James. As you know, all comments are welcome and mean a great deal. All the best, Ann.

by James J. Murray
7 months ago

Your poem is touching and poignant, Ann! I know that empty hollow feeling - its not easy

by Ann D. Stevenson, Gloucestershire, UK Poet
10 months ago

Pat, thank you, thank you, thank you for getting it. You always connect to my emotions that create the poem in the first place. You are a very special person. Ann x

by Patricia A Fleming, Trenton
10 months ago

Ann, your ability to express the deepest, most painful emotions in such simplistic ways with a few perfectly chosen words is amazing to me. My heart hurts right now, for me that's the sign of a powerful poem. I hope it is getting just a little easier. Your friend, Pat F.