Painting by Stephanie Serpick‘The Empty Bed’ by Phil S. Rogers The Society May 28, 2021 Beauty, Poetry 11 Comments . He wakes up with the morning’s light, __stares at the empty bed. A ritual for fourteen years __since tears have all been shed. The empty coffee cup remains __unused upon the shelf, and never touched in all that time, __alone, all by itself. Old wedding pictures on the wall __to muse on every day, They show how good life once had been __before she went away. Fond memories are always there __to make him smile once more, and bring a grin to his drawn face, __a vision to adore. Before he goes to sleep each night, __He scans the empty bed. A lucky man who needs no tears, __He smiles now instead. . . Phil S. Rogers is a sixth generation Vermonter, age 72, now retired, and living in Texas. He served in the United States Air Force and had a career in real estate and banking. He previously published Everlasting Glory, a historical work that tells the story of each of the men from Vermont that was awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor during the Civil War. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Trending now: 11 Responses Paul Freeman May 28, 2021 Grief is difficult to convey realistically in poetry. Well done, Phil. Reply Russel Winick May 28, 2021 This is a marvelous poem, Phil – perfectly paced and organized, with a lovely, inspiring ending. Great job! Reply Sally Cook May 28, 2021 You approached this with dignity and a reserved but injured heart. My mother’s people were several generations of Vermonters name of Stone and Clark. The Clarks woke up one morning and decided to walk to Western New York, which they did, and filed land claims. Not sure how the Stones got here. Your book interests me, as I’ve done a lot of genealogical research. Could you tell us where we might be able to get your book? thanks for a lovely poem. Reply Phil Rogers May 28, 2021 Sally Cook; I have been a member of the Vermont Civil War Hemlocks for many years. They are a living history and Civil War reenactment group based in northern Vermont. I wrote the book, Everlasting Glory, in the 1990’s and gave the rights to them as they are a registered non-profit. It was published in a limited edition. I have no idea if they have any books left for sale or not. Please try their website: hemlocks.vermontcivilwar.org for contact information. If you need further help, please get back to me. My ancestors were the first settlers in Cabot, and Stone was a very old Cabot name, if there could be a possible connection. Thank you for you nice comments. Reply Damian Robin May 28, 2021 Very nicely paced, going forward to an unknown conclusion. It could be a stuck Mrs Havisham character speaking. Even the “good life” could be dwelt on with minus notches of loss. Yet, gradually, almost unnoticed, “[f]ond memories … make him smile … and bring a grin to his drawn face.” Then the change in pace in the last line to make a fine up beat. “A lucky man [who] smiles now instead” of being drawn to negativity. A good resolution. Thank you, Phil. Reply Damian Robin May 29, 2021 That should be Miss Havisham. She did not marry. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant May 28, 2021 I like the way that the raw pain of grief gives way to the joy of memories made by the gift of love. I also like the way the sadness of the title gives way to a smile in the closing couplet, thus changing the meaning of The Empty Bed’, which turns out to be far from empty. This beautiful poem of love and loss is a powerful lesson in gratitude and eternity, perhaps. I am an old romantic and believe true love never dies. Thank you for this, Phil. I love it! Reply Yael May 28, 2021 That’s a beautiful poem and very moving, thank you for sharing. I enjoy reading this over again. Reply Joe Tessitore May 29, 2021 This is an excellent poem and, because it is an excellent poem, it highlights the fact that it is in need of one more syllable in its final line – its most important line – to make it flawless. This is a poem that deserves and demands to be flawless. Reply paul buchheit May 29, 2021 Touching sentiments, Phil. Heartfelt emotions for a difficult time. Thank you for this. Reply David Whippman June 6, 2021 A moving reminder that bereavement, unbearably raw at first, does mellow and soften. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Paul Freeman May 28, 2021 Grief is difficult to convey realistically in poetry. Well done, Phil. Reply
Russel Winick May 28, 2021 This is a marvelous poem, Phil – perfectly paced and organized, with a lovely, inspiring ending. Great job! Reply
Sally Cook May 28, 2021 You approached this with dignity and a reserved but injured heart. My mother’s people were several generations of Vermonters name of Stone and Clark. The Clarks woke up one morning and decided to walk to Western New York, which they did, and filed land claims. Not sure how the Stones got here. Your book interests me, as I’ve done a lot of genealogical research. Could you tell us where we might be able to get your book? thanks for a lovely poem. Reply
Phil Rogers May 28, 2021 Sally Cook; I have been a member of the Vermont Civil War Hemlocks for many years. They are a living history and Civil War reenactment group based in northern Vermont. I wrote the book, Everlasting Glory, in the 1990’s and gave the rights to them as they are a registered non-profit. It was published in a limited edition. I have no idea if they have any books left for sale or not. Please try their website: hemlocks.vermontcivilwar.org for contact information. If you need further help, please get back to me. My ancestors were the first settlers in Cabot, and Stone was a very old Cabot name, if there could be a possible connection. Thank you for you nice comments. Reply
Damian Robin May 28, 2021 Very nicely paced, going forward to an unknown conclusion. It could be a stuck Mrs Havisham character speaking. Even the “good life” could be dwelt on with minus notches of loss. Yet, gradually, almost unnoticed, “[f]ond memories … make him smile … and bring a grin to his drawn face.” Then the change in pace in the last line to make a fine up beat. “A lucky man [who] smiles now instead” of being drawn to negativity. A good resolution. Thank you, Phil. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant May 28, 2021 I like the way that the raw pain of grief gives way to the joy of memories made by the gift of love. I also like the way the sadness of the title gives way to a smile in the closing couplet, thus changing the meaning of The Empty Bed’, which turns out to be far from empty. This beautiful poem of love and loss is a powerful lesson in gratitude and eternity, perhaps. I am an old romantic and believe true love never dies. Thank you for this, Phil. I love it! Reply
Yael May 28, 2021 That’s a beautiful poem and very moving, thank you for sharing. I enjoy reading this over again. Reply
Joe Tessitore May 29, 2021 This is an excellent poem and, because it is an excellent poem, it highlights the fact that it is in need of one more syllable in its final line – its most important line – to make it flawless. This is a poem that deserves and demands to be flawless. Reply
paul buchheit May 29, 2021 Touching sentiments, Phil. Heartfelt emotions for a difficult time. Thank you for this. Reply
David Whippman June 6, 2021 A moving reminder that bereavement, unbearably raw at first, does mellow and soften. Reply
