The Tragedy of Ceremony

Why do we sing as we shed our years away? Time weeps for none. Why do we bring flowers to a funeral? The dead cannot see them. Why do we cry at a wedding? There is no sadness there. Why are they so intertwined, Tragedy and Ceremony? Why do we feel the need to fill our grief And joy with ritual? Before, I never understood. Now the reason is painfully clear to my heart. The final Ceremony is a well chosen last word, A last sign, The ribbon on the gift, The period at the end of a phrase. It completes the tragedy. It finishes one story so we can begin another. Without Ceremony, too much is Tragedy. Friends, family, classmates, lovers Leave each others sight One last time. With Ceremony, we know this is the last time, We can prepare, we can grieve in advance, Knowing what is to come. Without Ceremony, The end comes suddenly, Painfully. Ceremony is a speeding train. Tragedy is a bullet in the back. Ceremony is a speeding train. You see it until the last moment. Tragedy is a bullet in the back. You never see it coming. Let none ever fray the bond of Ceremony and Tragedy