Poetry

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Sleep eludes me.
My spirit engulfed by guilt, grief and loss,
I rise before dawn
and walk to the garden alone.
Seeking solace.
Seeking peace.
Seeking redemption.

The garden is cool, and the sweet scent of jasmine hangs in the air.
I seek out a secluded place,
and lose myself in thoughts of you.
Defining moments in our relationship,
your words, your touch, your eyes.
I don’t know if I can carry on alone.

The events of the past week
play out in my mind.
From joyous celebration to sudden death.
And I,
weak willed bystander,
fair weather friend,
watched from the sidelines, powerless to help you.

I fall to my knees and pray for absolution.

I feel a presence before I hear a sound.
A stranger is here, standing close beside me.
“Who are you?,
What do you want?”, I ask through my tears.
Can’t you allow me some privacy?”

A long moment’s silence,
and then he speaks.
He speaks my name.

I turn and look up in confusion and disbelief.
Is this someone’s cruel trick, or a ghost?
He should be dead in the grave where we laid him.
But there is no denying the voice,
his sweet voice.

I rise to my feet.
I look once more into the eyes of my beloved.
He gently touches my face,
warm fingers, flesh and bone, not spirit.
Not dead, but alive!

He smiles at me.
No words spoken,
forgiveness offered and received.

Redemption's tears streaming down my face,
I enter his outstretched arms.
The embrace eternal, the touch timeless, the way clear now.
Burden lifted, grace restored, possibilities endless,
I turn, laughing with delight, and run to tell the others.

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