The Hole

By T . W. Gilbert

This poetry book is a reaction to my wife Deborah Glaefke Gilberts passing on June 6, 2017, from adenocarcinoma due to asbestos poisoning. The poetic form is a form I invented. I am calling it the Glaefke Sonnet. It is both a five-stanza ballad stanza and a Shakespearian sonnet; both forms contain 140 syllables. Every tenth syllable and fourteenth syllable rhyme. The work is very down to earth, raw, and visceral, determined to be as real as possible, for loss and grief are not very pleasant or joyful. And the misery and devastation go on forever, regardless of how much healing is ever possible. If this work can act as commiseration and justification for the feelings, reactions, thoughts, and impulses that come with loss and grief for all those going through similar ordeals in this grief and loss community out there anywhere in our world, then good.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781546210313

T . W. Gilbert

T. W. Gilbert is a sixty-seven year old Northern Ohio poet, teacher, lecturer, composer, inventor, theorist, and very recent widower, who, upon his amazing wife’s passing, began writing a reaction to the devastating loss and grief by composing a structured and formed poetry collection (This book is the first in what will be a three part series). His main profession is in the field of Special Education/Intellectual Disabilities, having spent the better part of the last 48 years in the field, but also having developed a program for teaching full literacy skills in the last 26 years to individuals in the population, He has presented at many academic conventions across the United States and Canada regarding the literacy acquisition process for individuals with intellectual disabilities, has published in the Journal AAIDD 2002 June, and invented and patented a children’s learning toy to assist with literacy acquisition.

Book preview

2017 T. W. Gilbert. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/27/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5462-1030-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-1031-3 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Dedication

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For the love of my life, Deborah Glaefke Gilbert, who suffered most of her life from Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis, and smoked like a bat for thirty plus years, but surprisingly succumbed to asbestos poisoning and ensuing lung cancer June 6th 2017: professor, poet, author, mother, grandmother, outrageous intelligence and wit, genius and certifiably crazy, yet compassionate and loving and caring despite a life of insane and prolonged and jaw-dropping torment, always leading and inspirational with all.

Preface

This is a reaction to her absence, personal and real. If it can help with anyone else going through grief and loss of a loved one, then good. You may call or email at any time to share commiseration, for absence is indeed a universal, and solitude is so unnecessary.

All poems here enclosed are written in a new form which I invented. I am calling it The Glaefke Sonnet.

It is simultaneously a 5 stanza Ballad Stanza and a Shakespearian Sonnet, where every tenth syllable and every fourteenth syllable rhyme.

(All photos were taken by T. W. Gilbert, except cover photo and childhood nursery school photo by friend of family)

Blessings,

Tom Gilbert

Cell—216-644-6495

[e-mail]

Foreword

Thomas Wistar Gilbert is my brother, thus we weathered the storms of our childhood together, the most relevant event of that time being the death of our older brother, Gordon. For each of us this loss was monumental. I turned four only five days before this death, while Tom turned one only three days later. Our lives were forever changed in many ways not the least of which were that I was elevated into the position of oldest, though second born, and Tom became the oldest boy though third born. It was difficult for anyone in our family to recover but for the two of us losing a brother included the loss of our parents as well to grief.

Tom grew up turning to music for solace, learning to play the piano at age four, graduating to composing fugues by the time he was twelve. He has continued to play anything and everything from jazz to children’s songs to original compositions throughout his life, beautiful, lilting pieces full of heart and soul.

His affinity toward poetry took flight when he met and fell in