Lenten Poem
ALL IN ONE AND ONE IN ALL
Death’s approach does not seem out of place,
an unjust ravaging of life.
Rather it comes to all, by different paths and pace
it briefly stings, then puts an end to strife;
leaves but a temporary grief.
A fellowship is set, no less alive
in spirit, blessed with comfort and relief.
Cleansed by love, a new communion thrives.
The dead are new soil for our growth
their worth saps virtue into ours.
Their ashes, which we drink, are both
epitomes of lives already lived and future powers.
Joined by death, God makes the generations rise and fall
thus celebrates the human bond; the all in one and one in all.
Poems from the Eighth Decade
Copyright © Harold Macdonald 2004 used with permission