Six minute eternity,
seventy-two hours ago.
A cardiac arrest.
Doctors talked incessantly,
you may return or not.
And if yes . . .
Then a voiceless lull
filled that sterile beeping room
and angels’ wings were heard,
as they carried you back to me.
Dylan Thomas, in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog [first published by Dent on 4 April 1940] provided a whimsical explanation of the word “lull” – A host of angels must be passing by. What a silence there is!
Angels Along the Way is a quadrille (44 word poem) using the word “lull” — the prompt given by Bjorn at dVerse, a Poet’s Pub. Do visit this fabulous site!
Photo credit: Benjamin Earwicker.
Thankful for every day!
lillian the home poet 
🙂 Couldn’t describe the situation any better.
Beautiful words for very special moments in life
Have a very HAPPY week 🙂
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Grateful for every day. Thank you for your kind words!
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Beautiful! You packed a big punch into so few words. Peace, Linda
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Thank you, Linda. My original piece was very very long…..edit edit edit.
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We writers can be quite wordy if given the chance, can’t we? But sometimes you have to write the long option to have something to edit and get to the shortened version. You should post the long version some time for comparison.
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Whew! I could feel the tension and then the release.
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Thank you Rosemary. Tension….alertness….hanging on to hope….and then absolute joy!
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Oh, I like this so much! How frightening to hear that someone may return or not. And a big WHEW at the end…thank goodness for the sound of angels’ wings.
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Thank you for your kind words, Mary. Yes — I’ve often said to friends facing a serious illness or tragedy, “If you turn your head a bit, and listen, you’ll feel the angels along the way.” For me, angels can be the myriads of people who lend a hand, as well as the spiritual ones! 🙂
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I agree! Angels have many faces…many of them human.
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(That Dylan Thomas quote is gorgeous.) What a rollercoaster ride… thankful for those angels.
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Yes, indeed!
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How very thankful for the blessings of Providence to deliver a loved one back into one’s arms! One gets the feeling of being protected for one’s good heart. It works that way most times! Great lines Lilian!
Hank
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So very glad you liked this one, Hank. Yes — miracles do happen!
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How lovely to have those angels wings carrying one back to earth & to the loved ones ~ That’s a terrifying lull ~
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I’ve always talked about “angels along the way” during this period in our life. Reading Dylan Thomas’ quotation just nailed it. Thanks for the read, Grace, and your kind words.
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This resonated for me–I just read “Embraced by the Light,” the story of a near death experience. Makes one appreciate each moment of each day.
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Exactly, Victoria. Thankful for every day!
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This was so beautiful. I cannot imagine anyone writing such amazing lines on such a ruthless situation.
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Time away from the event (2+years) and gratefulness for the outcome. Sometimes it helps to write and make sense of the nonsensible. Grateful for every day.
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It certainly does. To not make sense sometimes could be therapy.
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You know, Lillian, I don’t think you need the long version. You said it all so beautifully here 🙂
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You are so kind. Many thanks.
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Ah, my traveling compadre,
my heart actually beat a bit faster reading this piece – having recently been anchored to a hospital room – this grabbed me quickly and pulled me into an uncomfortable place, but behold – like joyous angels – a grateful ending or a powerful new beginning
beautiful and precious as life
am:)
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The love of my life is also a miracle among us. Truly so many angels along the way enabled him to still be with me. Grateful for every day.
And yes … Hospital rooms – oatmeal colored many – are such very difficult places to be and yet, they are the stuff of life as well as illness and death.
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It makes a heart glad to hear “love of my life” and to sense the palpable conviction of real romance through words such as yours, Lillian.
But darn, those oatmeal rooms:)
am:)
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Oh, yes…that lull you can actually feel, while you’re holding your breath, waiting for a positive outcome. Very well written!
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Thank you for the kind words. Truly appreciated.
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wow, glad it all worked out. What a poem. Very intense with a beautiful finish.
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Thank you Melinda. It was an intense time. To condense it to 44 words .. Challenging. Thankful for every day.
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You’re welcome 🙂 you condensed it well.
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This is such a perfect use of the word, and what a great use of the Dylan quote.. When someon returns from being grasped by death like that – whew.
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Yes.
I was reading The Happiness Project last night and there’s a line about how some occurrences change the lens through which we view everything familiar. When you almost lose someone, or someone comes so close to death, it causes you to do exactly this.
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How old was he when that happened?
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Not quite 65. Happened Oct 14, 2013. We are truly thankful for every day.
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I’m glad he’s still with you.
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this nearly stopped my breath until I came to the last line…what a relief…
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Thank you for the read and especially for sharing that you were caught up in the words. That’s what we want as writers, right? I am thankful every day that I could write this poem with this ending!
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Gripped my heart and brought tear. Really wonderful, Lillian!
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Thank you so much for sharing your response. Miracles do happen – the combination of serendipity, excellent medical care, prayers and angels along the way.
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Oh yes. Time for deep gratitude! You are welcome!
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Powerful words … you capture the delay there very effectively … and glad it was a good outcome
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Thank you for the read and kind words. Yes… Glad indeed!
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Wonderful. Thankful for every day, indeed.
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😊
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So glad that we have those Angels watching over our men!
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Amen to that! 😊
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Oh my…I was totally engaged here on pins and needles. It’s truly extraordinary what modern medicine and angels can achieve. :~) What a blessing for all involved.
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Blessing indeed. We are truly thankful for every day!
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Wow…that left an impact. The “voiceless lull” was a beautiful turning point.
I lost my father aged 48 and my brother aged 36 to heart attacks. I am happy that your story had a much better ending. 🙂
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I lost my brother to a heart attack when he was 51. I understand the shock and the sudden loss. I am grateful for every day I have with my spouse since his cardiac arrest. Thank you for your very personal response here.
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Ah yes.. lull of death..
been tHere done iT
wHere tHere iS
NO coming
back..
yet
awake
again..now
dead or alive..
iS iT life or
reAlly heaven
i’LL alWays kNownow..:)
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Thank you, Katie. Just getting to some reading this AM — ☕️ I do like how you blend words — know — kNOW
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SMiLes.. When i was cut off from the rest of flesh humanity for 66 months.. Becoming friends with words literAlly saved my life.. Like those POW’s that etch words on prison walls.. And i suppose the same can be said for all human art as savior of our hEart.. SpiRit.. and SoUl..:)
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