Leave taking

I've been to two funerals recently. I suppose it's inevitable that their frequency will increase as I get older,  and my peer group ages alongside me.  It makes you consider your own mortality, and prompts a resolve to use the days left to you more wisely.  But somehow you never do, preferring to think there's still enough time left.  

The death of an elderly uncle is easier to bear.

It's possible to reflect on a long life, well lived, 

To remember the fun you had when you were small,

How he made you shriek until you were breathless, 

To consider the grace of his faith, which eased his end. 

The death of my sunny, fun-filled friend

Is much harder to balance. We are all too aware

She had too few years to enjoy her joyful take on life, 

Will miss out on too many evenings full of laughter, 

No longer guide her grandchildren into adulthood.

Both deaths celebrated as a release from pain. 

Both lives celebrated as lives lived well. 

We carry their memories home with us,  

To enrich our days, to remind us if we need it, 

To spend our time well, with those we love.  

© Copyright 2023. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved