How to Mourn

How to Mourn

Mourning by Harold M. Schulweis

He asked of me -
Help me mourn.
An odd request from one
so learned,
Who has the mind, the heart, and tears
why does he need my help to mourn?

We spoke a while
and then his request grew clearer
He wanted to mourn
not as if he were unrelated, a stranger
to his people, to his father's people.

He wants to mourn as part of a community
with a language of its own
a melody of its own
a history of its own
a future of its own

He intuited the immortality for his father
was bound to the eternity of his people.
He wanted rituals
that bind generations.

What did he want of me
Teach me to mourn
not as an isolated spirit
but as part of the transcendent God
who brings the mourners
to the bosom of His memory.

Teach me to mourn
as my ancestors mourned
and as in time
my children will mourn for me.

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