Uncle Tee,
like all else,
every thing
with
a beginning
also
has an end
it is a parting
of the ways,
end of a
fairly long and
checkered race
of life
you have finally
crossed over
from the present
into the past;
you have become
the stuff of memory,
and very soon,
you will become
the vintage stuff
of legends
and myths,
like all
the rest,
both great
and small
it is a
parting of
the ways
and already,
you have become
the stuff
of poetry
and songs,
a lesson
for our youths
and those yet
to arrive
it is a parting
of the ways,
though,
it is neither
the first
of its kind
nor will it be
the last
of the same
alas,
in the end,
you succumbed
to the grim truth
of death,
which is also
the essence
of life
and now,
to rise
once more
with the Christ
in whom
you so dearly
believed,
you must first go
the corrupt way
of all flesh
and blood -
it is a
parting of
the ways;
alas,
the seemingly
endless bolts
of deftly
woven fabric
of lies,
deliberate
omissions
and double-talk
by minions
and hangers-on,
leeches and
piranhas of
the public dole,
could not sustain
even a strand
of hair
on your scalp,
let alone
extend your time
and life
on Earth by
a split-second's
breath;
death,
too,
is integral
to the beauty
of life,
which is a gift
of charity
and grace,
not
sheer
desire
it is a
parting
of the ways,
it was your
maker and
creator who
both
bequeathed
and
bereft
8/10/12