No winter without a spring
And beyond the dark horizon
Our hearts will once more sing ….
For those who leave us for a while
Have only gone away
Out of a restless, care worn world
Into a brighter day
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of the intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
......
The mighty sound of forests murmuring
In answer to the dread command;
The stars that shudder when their king
extends his hand,
His awful hand to bless, to curse; or moves
Toward the dimmest den
In the thick leaves, not known of loves
Or nymphs or men;
......
Come thou, thou last one, whom I recognize,
unbearable pain throughout this body's fabric:
as I in my spirit burned, see, I now burn in thee:
the wood that long resisted the advancing flames
which thou kept flaring, I now am nourishinig
and burn in thee.
My gentle and mild being through thy ruthless fury
has turned into a raging hell that is not from here.
Quite pure, quite free of future planning, I mounted
......
When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me
I want no rites in a gloom filled room
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little, but not for long
And not with your head bowed low
Remember the love that once we shared
Miss me, but let me go.
For this is a journey we all must take
And each must go alone.
......
I know a funeral when I walk into one
I can tell between a funeral and a burial
They are two entirely different artworks
One is done on grand canvas, with drunken strokes
Of sashaying brush and bleeding paints;
The other is done on mere sand, with foot and hand,
Forming sandcastles built by toddlers.
I know too well because I have my senses
Intact after the last funeral I attended on a gambolling coast.
I should know because I participated in the burial of a
......
Today we place you to final rest
know that with your presence we've been blessed.
six feet down in your grave
we shed a tear, goodbye we wave.
the time has come to let you go
the sound rings out of the graveyard crow.
the clouds may part, the sun may shine
the priest speaks out, its now the time.
family cuddle and hug as we walk away
i'll never forget such a painful day.
......
Today we place you to final rest
know that with your presence we've been blessed.
six feet down in your grave
we shed a tear, goodbye we wave.
the time has come to let you go
the sound rings out of the graveyard crow.
the clouds may part, the sun may shine
the priest speaks out, its now the time.
family cuddle and hug as we walk away
i'll never forget such a painful day.
......
I attended my funeral today.
My soul left my body and soared away
because I had breathed out my last breath
and walked with Jesus through the Vale of Death.
For my soul no longer needed to share
the dead body that lay in the coffin there.
For my body’s sell by date had expired
and it was empty and longer required.
......
I am tired,
A life has expired
A person who I deeply admired.
The future that was selected
Came when I least expected.
I don't know what tonight will be,
Little did I know that she would be free.
The sound of a rattling diesel engine
did catch my attention - I knew that machine wasn't beeping.
......