April 1st

Funeral

Hearse of weathered black enamel,
Undertakers fingering cigarettes.
Family, some crying, some bored,
Some only thinking of themselves.
Hired marching band out of tune.
Even in death we find no accord.

If you look closely at a dead person, can you truly see a soul? Is there anything left of the person that you knew? No. There is only a corpse, one that doesn't even look familiar; whatever animates people is gone. Have they flown to heaven? Have they gone into some cycle of transmigration? I don't know. Theories about what happens after death can only be conjecture.A funeral is for those left behind. It is a ritual for us to come to grips with what has happened. Sometimes, one wonders if the weeping is more out of fear for ourselves than it is sympathy for the deceased.
All our lives, we seek union. We try to please our parents, we try to do well for our teachers and society, we try to make love and get married, we try to touch the universal through art, music, and meditation. Yet all our lives, our every attempt is flawed. Accord and harmony are transitory states. Their duration and quality come only from our determination. Once our mind gives way, we can no longer hold the connections that we want.
Don't wait for death to solve your difficulties. Do what you must while you are alive.

Personal Interpretation


Eventually, death comes for us all. The process of mourning is a difficult one, particularly when the deceased was one of our dearest companions in life. When we look at a corpse, we may have difficulty recognizing the person we lost. Whatever animated them is gone. We don't know what waits for us after death. We should allow ourselves time to mourn, but we must also make every attempt to live our lives while we still can. The funeral is for those left behind; it is a ritual that is meant to instill a sense of peace, closure. Let us do all that we can in life. Those we leave behind will honor our memories, but while we still draw breath, we are more than memory. We are substance. And we must make every effort to leave our mark on the world.