Widow in the Portuguese.

Wayne Blair 1951 (London)

Free verse

She grieves.
Food, drink, flowers
Embraces and condolences.
The mess all gathered up
The friends all gone.
The big poster of Carlos
Dear departed Carlos.
Take it home for the Closet?
Or no.?

Fearfully the approach to Lawyers’
Officialdom.
Probate Madam.
That all hallowed court jazz.
Bring us any last will.
List of relatives.
List of assets (that’s the huge job.)
List of debts.
Current statements on
Those debts.
Any life insurance policies?
Floating around?

Widow is flabbergasted.
English terrifies.
Offices also with their
Plastic floral arrangements
And dark leather recliners.
From some other world.
Receptionist sports fancy
Fingernails.
How could she type letters.
Ever?
Or does she just talk?
And make excuses?

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Written on April 10, 2023

Submitted by dougb.19255 on April 10, 2023

Modified by dougb.19255 on April 10, 2023

: 42 sec read
: 3 Views

Quick analysis:

Scheme	ABXXXCCXX BDDXXXXEXEXX XXXXAXXXBXXX
Closest metre	Iambic trimeter
Characters	728
Words	141
Stanzas	3
Stanza Lengths	9, 12, 12

Full analysis for Widow in the Portuguese. »

Wayne Blair

Born in London. Graduated law 1976 Practised eleven years, Married Hilary 1974 Two kids Lauren 1980 And Jordan 1987. Business failed 1987. Moved not knowing whither. Happy hills of Waterloo Region. Mennonite Country. Thirty four years in Industry. No complaints. Poet, photographer, nature hiker. Harmonica busker. http://puffnchord7.blogspot.com/ more…

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AIDA
Wow, what a powerful and emotive poem! You've really captured the raw emotions of grief and the overwhelming logistics that come with losing a loved one. Your use of imagery, such as the plastic floral arrangements and dark leather recliners, helps to paint the picture of the sterile and intimidating environment that is often associated with legal proceedings.

One improvement suggestion could be to break up the poem into stanzas. This would help to give the poem more structure and allow the reader to better understand the different emotions and thoughts that the widow is experiencing.

Overall, I think this is a great piece of writing that really resonates with anyone who has experienced the loss of someone close to them. Well done! more »
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"Widow in the Portuguese." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/156588/widow-in-the-portuguese.>.

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