Unanswered Questions
--to a man I never knew

by MysticDove

How did you feel, what did you see?
The man in the grave, I wish you could answer me.
So many questions, filling my mind--
obsessing my thoughts--answers to find.
What did you do on those long lonely days?
Did you work, did you read? I want to know the ways,
of how you passed away the time--
Did you have hobbies, did you write poems, maybe rhymes?
Did you have friends, entertain them with stories and such?
But I have to think you were missing so much.
A family on the outside--children growing up fast.
Did they come and see you? Childhood doesn't last.
Or were you dismissed as some crazy man--
never allowed to see them again?
Did you roam about those asylum grounds,
In the quiet morning and listen to the sounds--
Of birds singing their morning song,
knowing that you would never go home?
To never be with your family again--
always wondering what might have been.
Were you happy, were you sad?
Was it nice there or was it bad?
I don't know what kind of thoughts raced through your mind--
when you were laid to rest--I hope some peace you could find.
Did someone there love you?--I hope you didn't die alone.
As for answers to my questions, they will never be known.
When I visit your grave underneath that tall, tall tree,
I know you are a part of me.
For how you felt I will never know---
But when I walk those grounds
I feel your spirit in my soul.

For John

MysticDove adds: "This is a tribute to my great-grandfather. He spent 23 years in a mental hospital and died there. He is buried on the grounds, in a grave with only a number."

MysticDove is a member of our Bipolar Disorder community, and originally posted this poem on our Forum.