I Will Rejoice

I Will Rejoice

I heard of a loss of my friend today,

Trepidation swept through my soul,

The immediacy of, “Oh, no!”

A myriad comingled memories,

A tearing tearing realization,

The loss of the visible,

Your smile,

Your laughter,

Your words of wisdom,

I wish you well,

I want you back,

I went to your funeral today,

Family and friends,

I saw your smile,

I heard your laughter,

I found your wisdom,

Again,

Not lost at all,

Regained in everyone who loved you,

Restored in the preacher’s words,

Christ faced darkness, too,

But, the end was not an end at all,

Only the beginning,

Beyond all mourning,

Is Easter morning!

If there is loss,

There is also gain,

If there is nighttime,

Then Son will shine on us,

And, you my friend,

Would tell me to rejoice,

So,

I will rejoice!

Peter Lowell Paulson

April 1, 2017

Dedicated to dear departed friends, Edison Cole and Anna Mae Brueggemann