What is Truly Lost
By Jamison Mendenhall-Turner
Nov 15, 2025
Nov 15, 2025
Forgive me when I remember you:
that pink taffeta dress, sending
well-wishes wrapped in bubbles
for a photo to your aunt. Bless me
when morning light tip-toes
across pistachio kitchen walls
to nestle against the brick, and I
forget to view it through your lens.
that pink taffeta dress, sending
well-wishes wrapped in bubbles
for a photo to your aunt. Bless me
when morning light tip-toes
across pistachio kitchen walls
to nestle against the brick, and I
forget to view it through your lens.
We imagine we’ve lost people,
serenity enveloped by skin and motion.
True casualties of loss lay in moments
the views become the holes: a shade of blue
remains unnoticed, a breeze is simply so,
or a sunrise is passed, slept through.
serenity enveloped by skin and motion.
True casualties of loss lay in moments
the views become the holes: a shade of blue
remains unnoticed, a breeze is simply so,
or a sunrise is passed, slept through.
Jamison Mendenhall-Turner is a librarian living near Athens, Georgia. As someone who loves learning new things, he has multiple interests including performing with his local theater troupe, The Winterville Players, watching Athens Rock Lobsters hockey, and role-play gaming from Skyrim to Dungeons & Dragons. This is his first published piece.
Author’s Note:
This piece, written about ten years ago, was part of a larger story revolving around the themes of growing up and surviving loss. When exploring the experience of loss, I asked, “What besides the person themselves do we lose when they are gone?” This poem is one of my answers. It touches upon how we lose someone’s worldview, such as the colors they noticed and the philosophies they followed. They share their lens with us until we start to see the world in similar ways. After our loved one is gone, will we continue to see the world through their lens, or will the views they shared with us be lost with them?