Eternally

Cycles of life and death and becoming part of a larger story

Apologies in advance; I’m about to get morbid. This is different from my Valentine's Day post. Although, you could call it looking inward.

You see, I’ve been reflecting on life’s beauty and eventual end. Let me explain the intense experiences sparking this reflection:

—my mother-in-law’s brave struggle against relentless pain and cancer

—my sister’s fight with dementia as she slowly loses her defining memories

—my 11-year-old black Labrador Retriever’s stiff gait as her arthritic joints curtail our long, rambling walks

—the subtle (and not-so-subtle) changes in my body as I embrace the challenges of aging

Inspired by these thoughts, I penned two personal poems with visions of my existence after death.

I find peace within these visions. Just like the cosmological wonders that grace the sky and the majestic trees that stand tall around us, I, too, will remain part of the universe after death, nourishing it and joining a much grander story that connects us all.

---

Reincarnate

In the quiet pyre, her body yields,  
Transformed by the flames’ relentless embrace;
Oxygen dances, a vaporous ghost,  
Carbon echoes, in a spacious reverb,  
Each atom a story, a breath released.

Her essence, once whole, now mingles with air,  
Nitrogen escapes—winding sheets of gas,  
Calcium crumbles, dust beneath the sun,  
Phosphorous glimmers, a promise of life,  
Scattered in soil, where roots extend their reach.

In time, she flows with the rivers, the rain,  
Absorbed by the green stretching toward light,  
Her atoms weave through the fabric of life,  
Animals drink deep, and plants stretch their arms,  
All connected, yet lost in the vastness.

Many lives nourish with blooms of her past,  
Babies breathe in the echoes of her form,  
Years twist and turn, the cycle continues,  
In children’s laughter, a trace of her smile,  
But memories fade, like footprints in sand.

Will they know her heart, the weight of her dreams?  
Will they feel shades of her quiet despair?  
No, they will not see the raven in flight,  
Nor grasp the vastness of the void she glimpsed,  
Yet in their essence, she breathes, she pulses.

Perchance, at the edge of knowing, fleeting,  
The infinite’s flash as they slip away
From the living’s realm to the dark’s welcome;
At that moment, understanding blooms, and,  
Her atoms, once scattered, converge anew.

Together, they create a unity,  
Deja vu moments, elusive recalls,  
In time's vastness, she finds revival,  
A permanence born from the dance of stars,  
In life's cycle, she remains forever.

Renewal

I wish my ashes buried underground,
     Where sunlight filters down in rustling woods,
     And earthworms dance, their bodies soft and warm,
     To blend with soil, to mingle with the roots,  
     As insects hum, a choir of decay;
Let my remains enrich this silent earth,  
     A gift to whispering white oaks and to  
     Stately maples, crowned with their golden leaves,  
     And wild cherries, with blossoms bright and free;
     Here, I will rest, embraced by nature’s arms,
Where life renews itself through gentle turns,  
     And every particle will find its place  
     Among the ferns and moss, the quiet life  
     That pulses just beneath the surface green;
     In time, my essence will rise through the bark—
A part of every whisper of the breeze,  
     An echo in the crackle of the leaves—
     As branches stretch and reach toward the sky,
     So shall my spirit rise, entwined with light,  
     Forever one with earth, with tree, with life.

Author’s Note

• My award-winning book of poetry and prose, The Edges, is available in digital and paperback formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Google Play, IngramSpark, and Kobo.

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• February’s writing prompt:

  One Hundred-Word Wonders, 19 February 2025

  For those who want a head start, this month’s prompt is PARDON. Write in exactly 100 words, a story, poem, or creative non-fiction in any genre, using the prompt. Pieces should be exactly 100 words, no more or less. The 100-word count does not include the title. Hold your piece until the 19th!

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