A clearing

Perhaps death is a clearing

opening a wide vista

that enables us to see the past

from a new perspective

one in which we are not the central player

in a far deeper drama

than one soul’s awareness

could fully encompass.

We do not always see people as they are

our vision can be obscured by pain and defenses

or longings thwarted

that could never be filled

in the way we desired

and we may after death

find ourselves in that uncertain place

where all known landmarks

have disappeared

And so on that empty morning

as we raise ourselves

from our slumber

seeking a way to live

through this day

with all of our memories

bleeding loss from our heart

with each tear

into an ocean which bathes us

let us willingly surrender

the old parts of us

that are dying

with the dead

Let us allow the flood

and so find a way

to move forward

with a reverence

that once was absent

emerging 

as we do

as our hearts tear apart

opening a doorway

that leads us

into the woods 

of our grieving