Headstones
Headstones
By Michelle Morris
12/01/2023
We put headstones
On the graves of our loved ones
Names and dates and epitaphs
That cannot summarise a life
That dash in between the dates
The dash that encapsulates everything
And nothing of human existence
Except joining two dates of significance
For almost everyone knows
When they are born
A starting point of a journey
That takes many forms
But not everyone knows
The day they will leave
For these are matters
That Fate can turn quickly
And all that is often left
On the battlefield of Life
Is a headstone that gives
Basic information so trite
For what is humanhood
Left in graveyards so full?
Headstones and shades of grey
Flowers the only colours left for onlookers
For what is the meaning
Of each person's life?
If it can be reduced to few words
Carved on stone or granite?
But if one looks deeper
Into the souls of the living
The feelings are there
Beyond what headstones can fathom
For deep in our hearts
In our minds and our souls
We want to feel like our loved ones
Have found their way home
But if they should be lost
Let them these headstones peruse
And find their own coffin
Amongst the dark rows
For neatly and designed
The graveyard is created
So that the living and dead
Can find themselves later
© Michelle Morris, 2023
Copyright © Michelle Morris | Year Posted 2023
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