Today I watched a friend grieve the passing of her mother. Today I stood by my friend as she faced the reality of death. Watching a friend cry is a most terrible thing. Thankfully the small children don’t see the struggle between life and death like us adults. They simply live. In the moment.

Ever hope.

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Such appropriate weather for such a sad day

You can always count on the rain to wash away the pain

Dry cleaned suits and skirts freckled with moisture

Sends everyone seeking shelter under the cloister

The loud bell rings as the choir starts to sing

Today we bury a friend’s mother

Let the funeral begin

I spot my friend at the front, her hair greying, she looks thin

Grieving a battle lost to cancer her mother couldn’t win

Everybody stands behind her like an army of a thousand men

Ready to catch her fall and support her till the end

The sweetest voice sings Ave Maria accompanied by a harp

To guide the loved one’s spirit from the light into the dark

The priest proclaims a blessing pondering upon life’s lessons

A bid to lessen the strain of acknowledging someone’s missing

My friend takes to the stand to bid her final farewells

My eyes do not blink as if caste under a spell

Her voice trembles and almost falters beneath the pain

I keep telling her she can do it “Stand strong. Be brave.”

The large emptiness of the archways that loom above the pews

Are filled with vivid memories, silent prayers and final adieus

A little girl claps as the organ starts to play

Her innocence reminds us we must all seize the day

Life is Death and Death is Life an ever-turning cycle

A concept I find peace in as I don’t believe the Bible

Pall bearers lead us all outside, the rain is unrelenting

No relief from this grief until my friend turns to me and says that she’s expecting