Writing/Death

<poem> Dreams were high, So were emotions, And folks were everywhere, Spreading talk of devotion.

Darkness blanketed her life like never before, Tears drenched his life like never before, Emotions hidden, Bonds torn.

The house was surrounded by so-called friends, While minds were consumed by so-called greed. His dreams met a tragic end, Now they stand, lost and in need.

Death—unwelcome, no one desires— Arrives unbidden, at unexpected times, Leaving families broken with a heartless strike, Striking the heart, as 'zrael’s bell chimes. </poem>

Explantion

Stanza 1

Dreams were high,

So were emotions,

And folks were everywhere,

Spreading talk of devotion.

Interpretation:

This stanza contrasts the hopeful past with the grief-stricken present. The “dreams” belong to the wife and son, representing their aspirations for a better life with the father— centered around stability, success, and shared future plans. The phrase “so were emotions” shifts the tone: after the father's sudden death, those same emotional heights are now filled with pain, sorrow, and confusion.

The “folks” are people who arrive in the aftermath, delivering spiritual platitudes—“talk of devotion”—which sound hollow or performative to the grieving family, especially when their presence lacks true empathy.

Stanza 2

Darkness blanketed her life like never before,

Tears drenched his life like never before,

Emotions hidden,

Bonds torn.

Interpretation

This stanza personalizes the grief. “Her” refers to the wife, and “his” to the son. The wife’s world is cast into darkness, a metaphor for despair and uncertainty without her partner. The son is overwhelmed by tears, explaining how deeply affected he is by the loss, because he’s too young to process it fully. “Emotions hidden” tells of forced composure— due to social pressure or survival needs—while “bonds torn” points to the emotional and structural collapse of the family unit now that the father, the breadwinner and emotional anchor, is gone.

Stanza 3

The house was surrounded by so-called friends,

While minds were consumed by so-called greed.

His dreams met a tragic end,

Now they stand, lost and in need.

Interpretation:

This stanza turns a critical eye toward the community or “friends” who surround the family—not out of compassion, but for appearances or hidden motives (inheritance, property, gossip.) The phrase “so-called” undermines their sincerity. “His dreams met a tragic end” refers to the young boy’s dreams, which were once nurtured by the father’s support but are now suddenly shattered. “Now they stand, lost and in need” summarizes the family’s vulnerable state—emotionally, financially, and existentially—after the father’s death.

Stanza 4

Death—unwelcome, no one desires—

Arrives unbidden, at unexpected times,

Leaving families broken with a heartless strike,

Striking the heart, as 'zrael’s bell chimes.

Interpretation:

This closing stanza gives a universal reflection on death. It tells how death is always unwelcome and untimely, particularly when it snatches away a central figure like a father. “Heartless strike” conveys how sudden and brutal it feels, leaving families emotionally destroyed. The mention of ‘zrael—the angel of death in Islamic tradition—adds a spiritual layer, invoking the inevitability and ritual finality of death, as the bell signals a fate that no human can escape or resist.