Beckett

Nestled in loving arms
He looked into her eyes.
Deeply
Urgently
Passionately.


Here was a face, a voice
He knew better than his own.
More
More
For the journey.


Another face comes into view
In this face love and sorrow combine.
Both searching
Memorizing
Blessing.


He understood the play between them
And himself - each actor’s role.
Promise
Unending
Love.


And so the parents nuzzled their infant
Telling him good-bye
Breath
Slow
Shallow.


He tried to drink them into his soul
To know their who and their why
Time
Fleeting
Gathering


They traced his face with trembling fingers
Washing him with their tears
Attached
Detached
Eternal.


In eight days
A whole life lived
Hello and good-bye
Overwhelming
Mystical


And when he was filled
He closed his eyes
Silent
Fulfilled
Immortal.


This poem was published in DisciplesWorld, Vol. 5, No. 5, June 2006