Elegy for Elizabeth

This was written when I was in New Tork for my grandmother’s funeral. It was derived of introspection and a desire to comfort my family.

I lay now here, in your place,
I worry for the time I forget your face—The way you say hello when you answer the phone,
The smell that reminds me I am right at home.

The unfailing patience that it seemed you had,
The voice of reason that made me glad.
I return to the place from whence I write,
The place that somehow made my darkness light.

I wish for a fraction of your strength,
That I may find love and light with even half the length.
You meant so much to me and so many more,
A loss that leaves our hearts e’er sore.

Not a single answer but only why,
When we bow our heads and grant our hearts to cry.
It seems none know how to go on
Now that your e’er-lasting presence is gone.

We will always remember you
In a love and faith that was true.
Though no soul now living can find the words,
The message that was yours can be heard:

Though many may spurn and unjustly judge you,
The ones who matter will always be true.
Though many we love, who matter, have gone,
It is our purpose to carry on.

To make the world a better place,
Until we can once again see your face.
To lose the sorrows of this life—
The pain, the sorrow, the hurt, the strife.

To be united in a place so bright,
To once again share the light.
Until that time, we mourn and grieve
The pain of life and those who leave.

I await the day I see your face
And greet you again, in warm embrace.
Though you are lost, you’re never gone—
When I see you again, I will finally be home.