We heard the sighs
release and rise
and then the spirits followed,
lifting lightly,
filling the sky,
hallowed lives left hollowed.
They rose and rose softly,
from crowded beds tended,
from havens for homeless souls
hidden from view,
from lonely chairs,
alleyways
voting booths,
deserts,
from highways and waysides
and holy week pews.
Shining and delicate
energy airborne,
they rose and kept rising,
their light flashed and played,
cradled on love and
fading, diminishing,
dearly departing
the mess that we’d made.
Sad questions haunted us,
hushed in new melodies,
carried on waves
from eternity’s sea:
Why did we give such weak men
our power?
Why must we, finally, die to be free?
Rising and rising,
breaths released, leave-taking,
farewells descending
we heard their last prayer
entreating, beseeching us,
one word,
the last word,
the spirits breathed
tenderly, borne on the air:
Change.
And we turned, and we turned
from the graveyards and grieving,
we healed with our neighbors,
our gifts,
and our earth.
We planted new gardens,
created bold visions,
infused them with justice,
and welcomed new birth.
© Copyright of all visual and written materials on The Daily Round belongs solely to Catherine M. O’Meara, 2011-Present. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited, without the author’s written approval. No one is authorized to use Catherine O’Meara’s copyrighted material for material gain without the author’s engagement and written permission. All other visual, written, and linked materials are credited to their authors. Thank you, and gentle peace.
THE DAILY ROUND 
Oh goodness, this is ethereal, beautiful and heartbreaking. Stunning picture too. It’s SO good to have you back!!! Love and hugs to all.xxx
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Thank you, love. It’s good to be among friends. Makes me feel like we could almost meet on the trail…love you. Xoxo, Kitty
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“Why must we, finally, die to be free?”
This reminds me of Khalil Gibran’s poem on Death which ends with these words:
” Only when you drink from the river of silence
shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top,
then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs,
then shall you truly dance.”
With love from Mauritius.
Shiva.
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Beautiful, Shiva; thank you so much for sharing with us. I do believe the spirit lives on after release, and that offers peace, but I also believe we fail each other when the gifts we came to share here and now are pruned too soon from the tree of life. When we allow deaths we could have prevented, human, other animal, the earth; we have failed creation…Life is a precious, precious gift. And so, I hope you are well, and safe, and I wish you and your loved ones gentle peace.
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From Toronto with thanks !!
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Thank you! Stay well and safe.
Joy to you, and gentle peace.
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Today I was struggling to remain strong while in my sixth week of solitude.
Your words are so beautiful and brought me peace – and the realization that life is good and worth fighting for.
You have a beautiful gift and I cannot thank you enough for sharing it. You brought life, light, love and God to my dark corner today!
Love Lulu
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Thank you so much for your great kindness in sharing with me, Lulu. Your peace and joy are resting in my heart. Be well and stay safe; and we’ll support life’s goodness and beauty together. 🙂 Gentle peace and sweet light, Kitty
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Absolutely beautiful. Thank you.
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Thank you, and please stay safe and well! Gentle peace, Kitty
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