Touch of the Past (rewritten)

i rewrote this because of PoetJanstie‘s gentle nudge… thank you for making the wheels turn again – much appreciated. it would not leave me alone. 🙂

autumn’s gift, draped carefully
enshrouding
mournful paths to the past,
to soothe
tears’ burdensome sting ~
sweet sadness,
uplifted by nature’s gentle touch

rows and rows ~
gravestones,
towering high, majestic
some small,
cracked and bruised
frail and broken
forlorn?
forgotten?

old, they whisper
venerable
the earthen beds…
monuments in time

names, embedded in stone
moss-accentuated ~
i picture their faces,
and breathe life
into the Long Gone
one more time

the oaks’ heavy boughs
pick my thoughts,
extract,
lift with ease, to join
trees’ leafy heads (up in the clouds) ~
as if they weigh nothing

and in the company
of the dead
i feel comforted,
for they know all the stories,
smile warmly
and never judge

and in the company
of the dead
i find
my heart,
my voice,
my sweet solitude.

___________________________
photo credits: jamiesanford.com