Death


I felt nothing 
Meeting his body 
Shrunk, motionless 
A log, plastinated by white enshrouding cloak  
I felt nothing
Trailing this log to its final abode
Six feet under 
I felt nothing 
As the planks decked over 
Cracking out darkness 
From the bright sunny day 
I felt nothing
As the red earth shoveled over 
Levelling all but the mound of grave marker  
I felt nothing
Walking away  
Leaving him to the truth he found
Is it peace or serenity; torment or nothing?
Is it eternal or transient; selective or uniform?
Truth which still elude us
I felt nothing
Save an eerie self-questioning
A constant asking 
If this is how death feels:
Raw nothingness 
Minutes rolled into hours, hours rolled into days 
Every moment themed by flashes of memory 
Breaking out from the past  
Memories striking of what remained of resentment
And anger
Now I know
That death isn’t an event or a moment
but a lingering sense of loss
And now I know 
That death is a warm spring of nostalgia 
Sneaking up on the stream of thought
And now I know 
That death is a flood of nothingness
Smothering the rough edges of grief
And now I know
That death is a rite of passage
An ascent into sorrow 
Copyright © | Year Posted 2020

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Agustin Avatar
May 1, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Thanks for sharing this... exposing your thoughts through your unique poetic style. Meanwhile, I greet you with the love of the Lord, expressed by John 3:16 of the Bible, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Be blessed.
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