A Quiet Mourn

The angels weren’t smiling when she ascended.
The choir sang no melody,
And the heavenly band played no notes.
Without a shining sun or a radiant blue sky to set the usual stage,
They bowed their heads in a silent welcome.
‘Twas a feeling of pity and sadness which permeated the scene,
And as the girl looked around,
Unsurprised,
Unshaken,
A single angel stepped forward with arms outstretched,
As if trying to convey that the despair had gone,
That the hopelessness had dissipated,
The longing had vanished,
And in their place were only serenity and calm.
But she couldn’t feel it, couldn’t sense it.
And looking around at the pristine new world,
The young girl felt awkward, out of place,
As she always had before body and soul had separated.
And the usually beautiful ethereal angels,
Forced pitiable smiles upon strained faces,
Thus proving their confusion to her,
Their inability to reconcile such sadness in such a joyous place.
Momentarily fixing her gaze downward,
The girl thought of the falling autumn leaves,
The vibrant oranges, yellows, and reds,
The crisp air and peaceful grey skies,
And she smiled...
For that was her home, her serenity.
Her tranquility lies amongst the headstones on the ground below,
With the distraught mourners,
The ritual of burial and final goodbyes.
Slowly lowering her arms,
The angel,
who had previously stepped forward,
nodded her head slowly to the young girl,
Knowing the ultimate decision,
And understanding that such a tormented despair
Cannot be extracted from the soul—
Not even by heaven’s cherubs, choirs, and saints.
Turning away from the quiet angels,
And abandoning their perfect heaven,
The girl took a step into nothingness
That brought her back to the ground,
Standing next to her grave,
With a new calm filling her spirit,
Sent on the wings of the chilly fall breeze.