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