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Elegy

“Beauty can pierce one like a pain.”

—Thomas Mann, Buddenbrooks

When Mother died, she left me all her books.
Bewitched by words, how much she loved to read.
And chief among her loves was Buddenbrooks.
Its blues and yellows deeply sowed their seed.
When she read Mann, his words were tenterhooks
that often caused her tender heart to bleed.
My mother filled her life with memories
she stored away in secret treasuries.

In ink beside “To Earthward,” Mother wrote:
Teach me to love and never count the cost.
It’s no surprise that she had penned her note
next to that verse she loved by Robert Frost.
So frequently in life she was afloat,
adrift, by waves of passion sorely tossed.
But when she loved, its cost she counted naught,
and bravely bore whatever passion wrought.

A golden light glows gently on the leaves,
and once again, it finds me seated here.
Upon this cold stone bench, my heart receives
such solace sweet in knowing Mother’s near
that all her dreams lie sheltered from time’s thieves.
Her life is done; there’s nothing she need fear.
When twilight turns to night—O, half-my-heart!—
then I arise and from myself depart.

.

.

Gershon Ben-Avraham is an American-Israeli writer who lives in Beersheba, Israel. His short story “Yoineh Bodek” (Image) received “Special Mention” in the Pushcart Prize XLlV: Best of the Small Presses 2020 Edition. Kelsay Books published his poetry chapbook God’s Memory in 2021. Ben-Avraham holds an MA in Philosophy (Aesthetics) from Temple University.

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14 Responses

  2. Paul Freeman

    Sometimes it’s a smell, a sound, a taste, or something we glimpse that brings back memories of someone who’s gone. Here, it’s a mother’s beloved poetry and the wisdom therein.

    A wonderful tribute, Gershon I was particularly enamoured by the final stanza. It’s very moving.

    Reply
  3. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Beautifully done, Gershon, and with the same deep-seated feelings I have for my mother’s books and love of classic poetry. Thanks for returning those memories to me in such a well-phrased and sensitive poem.

    Reply
  4. jd

    A beautiful tribute to your mother and the love
    you bear for her (and the written word). Lucky woman.

    Reply
  5. Tom Woodliff

    I love the meter, so good. Hard to relate, since I’m not close to my mother, but the sentiments are enticing

    Reply
  8. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    This exquisite poem is breathtakingly beautiful. It has moved me for the same reasons Rohini mentions, and I particularly like:

    Upon this cold stone bench, my heart receives
    such solace sweet in knowing Mother’s near
    that all her dreams lie sheltered from time’s thieves.

    To know that one is wrapped in a mother’s warmth and wonder when sitting on that “stone cold bench” of grief is a precious gift. Utterly lovely!

    Reply
    • Joshua C. Frank

      Those are my favorite lines too; the poem moved me not for the same reasons (obviously), but for a similar reason: I have a mother. My eyes stung reading those lines.

      Reply
  9. C.B. Anderson

    This poem is too good to be true; or maybe it’s too true to be good. In any event, you’ve accomplished something here.

    Reply
  10. Margaret Coats

    That invocation “O half my heart!” reminds one of exactly how much a mother gives the child whom God calls into being by means of mother and father. And later, the one elegized here also imparts a love for beauty and for words. Lovely work.

    Reply
    • Monika Cooper

      “O half-my-heart!” Yes, I think you’ve grasped the meaning. It’s a beautiful invocation, still mysterious after being explained.

      Reply
  11. Gershon Ben-Avraham

    To All Readers and Commenters,
    Thank you for your heartfelt reflections on my poem “Elegy.” Your insights and kind words have touched me and inspired me to continue sharing my poetry. Your presence and engagement mean the world to me. With sincere gratitude, Gershon Ben-Avraham.

    Reply

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