[39] The Day he Died, and the Day After, Thomas R. Smith

I.
Powerful winds blasted the brightness.
In full sunlight we chilled to the bone.
He passed into the Great Tenderness
five minutes after noon. We didn’t know.
Half an hour later what I first thought a large
dog bolted out of nowhere in front of
the car. I braked for the doe, who showed
herself to us, then vanished into the light.

II.
In the early morning dark the memories.
How can it be that all those moments
of challenge, beauty, and depth have come
to this long descent? Today only his body
will enter the flames. This remembering is also
a burning. We hope that in the smoke
from its ashes the man we have loved
will stand up alive and strong in our hearts

[In Memoriam, Robert Bly 1926-2021]