CHRISTIAN BURIAL

Hi Guys, 

Well, I thought enough of all that feel-good stuff and it was time to visit the dark side, if dark side it is. As one gets older, the subject of death does come into focus. As Christoper Hitchens so succintly puts it - "The disconcerting thing about death is not so much the fact that you are tapped on the shoulder and informed that the party is over but the fact that the party will go on forever and you will be absent from it."

So I say, lets focus a little on the ineviitable and look with wonder on the vibrant life around us, see the beauty in each of us, respect the differences and contemplate on the end! Read on:

This poem is dedicated to our friend Bob - long have we been the recipients of his homegrown philosophy and casual humour!

CHRISTIAN BURIAL

Another life lies still.

Another cadaver laid to rest.

Silent sobs, vocal tears,

A tsunami of emotions mingles

with the gentle breeze of memory -

love, hate, joy, sorrow,

pet peeves, weird idiosyncrasies,

petty squabbles, major disagreements,

resentment, acceptance, generosity,

laughter, anger, smiles, rants

differences buried

amidst the distant hum of traffic

carrying people to their humdrum lives.

The percussion of tossed earth and rock and wood,

the caress of fragrant rose petals, cascading,

tinny gospel music, gentle request

to lead souls to the promised land,

as the mourners wend their way back

wondering if tea and snacks will be served

with the promise of everlasting life!

Antonio