River bed

When the river bed dried out

Piles of bones were shown to be

Lying underneath

Obscured by the force of a tide

That gave no relief

To the suffering soul

Who believed they were buried long ago

And kept a silent vigil

By the bank as waters raged

All throughout the day and night

And with dawns early light

As red moon gave way

To golden sun

There was not one person left

By your side

As you sat at the river bank

Shedding the final tears

For all of the years you lost

There in that wilderness

And so you moved towards the bank

With a leather sack

Collecting these bones

Carrying them home

To your own burial ground

And by the grave

You sang and danced

And lit a fire

As you threw each bone upon

A funeral pyre

Watching and waiting

Until the charred remains

Became ashes

Later to be blown away on the breeze

As finally you witnessed

The scattered fragments

Of your ancestral soul

Fly free