Those who have disappeared: You are missed!
a call to a long lost friend — in response to August’s first week prompt
Neera Handa Dr 5 months ago
Hi James
Just wondering and missing you on Medium, dear! Hope you are well. Sending you love and wishes.
I’ll never know, never understand
what you had gone through
though, you shared a glimpse of what it was,
in your world and things
that had happened to you,
You brought that uncertainty to surface
that we all suffer from
you coloured it with brightness and humour
that we loved above all,
A lily the poets say, lives just for a day,
fragile, shimmering in the dark, yes,
just for a little while, but
it leaves beauty and light in its wake
that stays in the mind for ever!
It has been a few months, since a post from James has appeared here on Medium, and I have not seen any response/comment from him on any of the posts, since March of this year.
What happened to him, what upheavals must have gone through in his life, are the questions that I have no means of finding any answers to, and no way of knowing, whether I ever will.
I am just wondering, why has he stopped posting, and where has he disappeared? If he is well, or sick, not able to do any of these things, which can give us the answers.
I had met James here on Medium only, almost a year ago, when I had just joined, and had started posting. We had come in contact with each other through frequenting the same group of writers and readers on Medium. He commented on my posts, and on others as well, with such love and admiration that from his words one could see the purity of his character, his soul!
On one of my poems, he had commented
You have a lovely soul Neera, and I am so grateful that you allow bits of it to escape through your pen. This piece is beautiful.
Thanks. You see a reflection of yours there!!
Yes, a reflection of his, which many of us, saw, and experienced, both in his poetry, and his comments on others’ posts.
From his first story, that I had missed reading, at that time, James was announcing his entry, into this world of words, in a really meek, humble and hesitant way, standing there, at the door, with his hat in his hand, wanting to daring to come in.
Once, I knew, I was fascinated by his story, and his resilience, humility, and the simple childlike faith in the goodness of everyone he came in contact with.
His posts though were full of dark patches which always lurked behind the happy, and light topics he chose. He wrote sparingly, and each post that he wrote was precise, and had such meaning, with not even one word extra, or any superfluous idea. AS one of his readers had commented: “the economy of language is something to be studied and greatly admired”. (Carmellita)
His comments were equally precise, though delivered with great generosity.
J Oliver Dempsey 10 months ago
This was a lovely poem Neera, a good way to close out my day with a meditative perspective and a smile.
Neera Handa Dr 10 months ago
Thanks, I’m glad, it could reach you.
He felt as if he had to keep explaining, keep earning the place, that was his by right, he was after all a great writer and an equally great reader.
Imagery and the scenery you created, transported me to your street, and I can hear the dialogue, James, taking place within you. Listen what the moon says, carefully, it tells you of the blemish it has on its face but still no one notices it, it is the light it radiates that’s seen, loved and eulogised. ❤ love has many names and you have a lot of it!! Please keep writing and spreading your beautiful love, many of us wait for it 🌝,
Thank you dear friend. You bring your own special light into my life and I am so grateful for it. When you show up here, my heart does a happy dance : )
Oh! I had missed this one. Thinking of you.
Where are you? Why haven't we heard from you? You are missed dear!
And just after his this post in February, he stopped writing.
I have not seen any post from him, for the past 6 or 7 months. This seems to be his last one, on 19th February.
And going by the beauty of the comments that I have found, just by searching for his name on the platform today, there are so many writers who have been touched by him, and have shared such loving, meaningful, generous, comments with him. They must be wondering too!!
I would like to know what their thoughts are about James. Have they got any news, as I couldn’t find any hint any where, other than what I had known in February, that he had been unwell. But he was looking forward to sharing this journey with us all!
The comments I have found with his name search are many, and I don’t have the space to mention them all here, but some were just too beautiful to ignore.
Liz Porter wrote in Nov 2021
Well, J Oliver I’ve been hanging out on Medium since 2019 and this is by far my favourite comment to date. The way you put your words together captivated me instantly — eloquent, delicious and kind. You also get me — a odd combo of fierce and tender-guessing you’re a mirror image. Thank you for reading, it’s exactly what I needed today as well. Heading over to see what the Stonemason writes about :) See you around Mr. Dempsey.
Josephine Crispin 8 January 2022
Thank you, J Oliver, for the nice wishes regarding finding a magic place soon. Such a sweet thought :-)
And if I may share, I think the bumpier the road to one’s goal or dream is, the sweeter its moment of achievement it will be. Do not lose hope, ever. And keep writing your poetry. You are gifted, I strongly believe.
And in July this year, Carmellita had also been wondering that what had happened to him,
Yes, I’ve seen a few drop out. I wonder what happened to Omy, J Oliver, and Linda Wright.
J Oliver Dempsey’s poems I have mentioned here are
Ghost Hollow Road at 2 am…. Last night, I looked up at a sky So… | by J Oliver Dempsey | Medium
And So I Write…. For most people, 20/20 represents… | by J Oliver Dempsey | Medium
Death of a Leaf — J Oliver Dempsey — Medium
And Here I Am. English 100 and a pack of crayons. Here… | by J Oliver Dempsey | Medium
Thanks Sahil Patel for this great publication and the prompts to inspire us to keep writing.
August’s First Week Prompt of Lifeline | by Sahil Patel | Lifeline | Aug, 2022 | Medium