Anthology: a grieving process

The Rain Reminded Me

25cm x 25cm

Vintage silk handkerchief, cotton embroidery thread

The second in my Anthology series, this small piece is my first step onto a path exploring the loss of my father in 2019. It's taken this long to process his passing (and to be honest, I'm still not quite there), but I have started to write small poems, reflecting on my own emotions over the last few years.

The idea for this piece came about after I found this vintage, silk handkerchief in a charity shop. It was so delicate, and I wondered about who might have used it in the past to dab away a tear.

Crying is strange - I'm generally classed as a 'crier' among family and friends (films, books, even TV adverts!). There is the polite 'tears in eyes', and the wild sobbing that can spring up from deep within. Sometimes it's a reflection of outside influences, sometimes a deeply personal erruption of emotions. All are valid, all have their place.

This poem I wrote after a particularly wet dog walk a few months ago. The darkening sky threatened to burst until, half a mile from home, the skies opened. My coat hood had caught on my glasses and created a funnel for the torrential rain to flow down my cheeks... and my body seemed to react almost immediately to the strong sense of grief which bubbled up. I surrendered to it (it's easy to cry in the rain) and by the time I was home, this cathartic process had eased my emotions.

Sky the colour of sealskin

I couldn't remember how

to grieve until the rain,

flowing down my face,

reminded me.

©Samantha Boot 2024