WE BURY THE DEAD

1

We bury the dead

in the dry soil of the past,

we bury them there

as seeds for our own memories,

to blossom in our minds

when our hand reaches

for them and finds nothing.

2

We bury the dead

but to carry them

with us; to mix them

with ourselves in our thoughts

twining them in the essence

of our being, so that

they might last and we might live.

3

We bury the dead

and become living tombstones for them

- in us they sleep, like seeds;

tears are the libation

we pour to call forth

their shades

to talk again to us in our dreams.

22.09.2019