THE GATHERING

A polished pine coffin lays on a dais alone

Flowers in wreaths, posies and one single rose

Attached to loving messages on the crematorium

A sudden click breaks the silence.

Mourners with grief stricken faces

From Edinburgh, Austria and far off places

As a menacing hurricane of fire shook the tower

The sky drowned in fury of its volcanic power.

The empty house was lambent with evening’s glow

Crystal glass, serviettes and leftovers on the floor

The doors wide open, windows closed, nothing there

But a lone birch dying by the silent patio without her care.

The empty house was lambent with evening’s glow

Crystal glass, serviettes and leftovers on the floor

The doors wide open, windows closed, nothing there

But a lone birch tree dying by the silent patio without her care.