All Souls Day
Today I am taking some time to remember
all those souls I have known
who have moved on from this mixed bag of beauty and sorrow
Lea, Peter, my parents and grandparents
My godparents, Judy and Martin
friends and mentors named Kathleen, Phyllis, Marylee, and Irene
and schoolmates
Pat, Laurel, Jason, Richard, and Jon
For whom we now pray.
Also those souls I did not know but think of nonetheless:
my brother Michael who was born and died long before I came along,
(Would I be here had he lived?)
various ancestors whose DNA I share with my children
and authors and artists who filled the treasure chest of thought and vision
I look to for inspiration and comfort -
'We read to know we are not alone,' says C.S. Lewis' student in Shadowlands.
And then there are those with no one to remember them
in November we look upon the trees
singing their swan song in ruby red dress
Spirits waving in the fields
seem to say 'Vanity, vanity, all is vanity,'
'Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die'
My heart reaches out to lift them up and set them free
to the place where I hope to go
someday long from now
if only someone will remember me.
