Ephemeral Lament

You could see it in his eyes,
In fleeting glances about,
It knifed it's way into the room,
And then retreated back.
Waiting for the moment,
It's hand to fully play,
Waiting till you least expect,
The soul to fly away.
It hung thickly in the air,
Smoke in the smokeless room.
The smell of it was there,
The eagerness of doom.
All about the people spoke
With words that had no meaning.
Pushing themselves apart,
From the spirit there careening.
Sometimes in furtive moments,
A mouth would bend close to ear,
And you pray the things there whispered,
Would carry weight, relief of fear.
Women darted through the room,
Offering food to those not hungry.
We took the sacrament eagerly,
And swallowed down our guilt.
The will to life is fading fast,
As our small sacrifices are offered.
From the North an icy blast,
As the Reaper's hand is proffered.

To you that leaves on this dark day,
Know that love never dies.
As on a ship you sail beyond
To distant shores unseen;
You live in me, and I in you
As you leave for worlds pristine.


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For uncle Don, wherever you may be. You're sorely missed my dear brother…

Thank you my friend. I've written a lot of poetry I guess, but somehow this one was always special and I've always been very reluctant to show it to anyone.