Passing Through

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber 

A new poem today, written for lovely lady, mother of a friend from my student days some 50 years ago; she will be 97 today. In the meantime, I am hoping to find a publisher for a new collection of poems; if not, I will self-publish again. Whatever, I will post details on the blogs 

Now, growing old is rarely if ever easy for anyone, but especially for men and women living alone without much of a support network. For many, too, there is a sense of time running out, an end to all we have known and loved. 

Ah, but love never dies and the human spirit, unique in its own way to each and every one of us, is immortal. 

Life as we know it allows us to pass through time (as we know it) but - as history and family history teach us - there is far more to time than any Here-and-Now; a kind act here, a kind word there, whether to a loved one or total stranger, may well reverberate across centuries, engaging with a living mind-body-spirit here, there, everywhere … 

Where world religions would have it that any after-life takes us to a Heaven or Hell of sorts, I believe we make our own Heaven, our own Hell, in the course of our own lifetime; not least, courtesy of Love and Conscience. 

I put it to you that, just as followers of any religion are entitled to our respect for their points of view, those of us who subscribe to no religious dogma are no less entitled to the same. As I often ask in the blogs, instead of putting someone in the wrong, even despising them for engaging with points of view other than our own … what’s wrong with agreeing to differ?

PASSING THROUGH 

The years, they pass,
and childhood becomes a dream
to treasure as we grow old
among such memories as inspired us
to enjoy such seasons
of our life as mind-body-spirit
chooses to see us through
each winter of the heart to that spring
where bluebirds sing

The hears, they pass,
and the Garden of Life sees changes,
for better, for worse,
while the human spirit sees us through
happy times and sad,
a positive thinking mindset
taking pride of place,
sure to inspire the human heart to sing,
come into its own

The years, they pass,
but nothing and no one left behind,
for first among equals 
remains the Spirit of Love, inspiring us
to see past-present-future
as a continuum, no end in sight,
and love, it never dies,
passing through generation to generation
in 'live' imagination

The years, they pass, but treat us as they may,
the kinder human spirit ne'er calls it a day

Copyright R. N. Taber 2020

[Note: This poem also appears on my general poetry blog today]