Poem

I drive by this cemetery once a week.
For nearly two years I’ve been telling
myself to stop and take a photo.
I found myself pulling over and
getting out of my truck on the anniversary
of my Father’s death.
It was time. The weather was nice.
Leaves were falling and the sun was out.
It was slightly damp and I could smell
the sweetness of the trees readying for
the oncoming winter by shedding their
seeds. Some of these seeds will be eaten.
Some will nestle into the earth and cover
themselves deep enough to live again.
Even though my father was buried a
few hundred miles from where I stood,
I could feel him with me. I believe he
knew what I was doing and why I had
finally stopped to take this photograph.
It’s my belief that to live this life without
fear, you must not be afraid of death.
I believe that the famous line, The Truth
Shall Set You Free, is directly tied to this.
I think it’s no coincidence that I repeatedly
told my father that I will not live in fear,
before having realized exactly what that
meant to me.

No wonder I love leaves.

-M. Taggart