When Time of Parting Comes

By John M. Freckleton

Does a person newly dead
Indulge in tears
When pausing for a moment
Just beyond the veil,
Beholding loved ones overcome by grief,
Retreat from what was once a bed of pain,
And murmur sad good-byes?
And does the newly dead
Rejoice that mortal agony is over,
Mingling tears of thankfulness
With sorrow for the parting from the loved ones:
Mother for her little children,
Father for beloved wife and family,
Child for loss of earthly home …
Can the spirit thus released
From all the heaviness of earth
Forget at once the happiness
That came from friends
And all the beauty earth life
Sometimes held …
And leave with no regrets
Or backward glance?
Must the leaving differ greatly
From those poignant moments
When we say good-bye
To take our leave at any time
And be without the company of those we love
For many days of longing loneliness
Or for an interlude of years?