Ash and bones
That seem to reverberate
With the echo of cries of pain
Of the enfeebled body that’s no more
An empty bed
And clothes that smell familiar
Yet evokes dissonance
A sense of loss of identity
That defined you in reference
To the deceased, and
A gnawing feeling of daily routines
Left in the lurch
Descendants, who now must wake up everyday
And confront the void anew
And learn to live with it
Rituals to assuage the guilt of the living
Of past neglect of the departed
Or to console loved ones
With the promise of peace in afterlife
A place beyond suffering
