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Passing Through a Graveyard

Marred old friends whose breath has passed
Are cold friends whose breadth I pass.
Some I pray they pray for me.
Some they pray I pray them free.
Hewn in granite where was wrought
Endings lest they be forgot.

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Robert Nachtegall is an operations director in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has also published in The Imaginative Conservative and Agape Review.


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11 Responses

  1. C.B. Anderson

    When this poem sinks in, it really sinks in. This is not graveyard humor, but rather graveyard straight talk, etched in granite. How will we be remembered?

    Reply
  2. Bob Elkins

    Poignant reminder of past trips to a cemetery. Thank you for the heartfelt thoughts.

    Reply
  3. Robert Nachtegall

    Thanks Bob. I’ve always appreciated cemeteries. They’re wonderful places for reflection.

    Reply
  4. Paul A. Freeman

    Poignant piece, Robert.

    I like the way the poem with its title looks like a squat gravestone.

    Thanks for the read.

    Reply
  5. Rusty Rabon

    Robert, I had a college professor who once told a class that, to gain perspective on life, he would walk through a graveyard and read the headstones or markers. He said that this helped him understand that one day all the things he thought were so important will be over and forgotten.

    Thanks for the poem!

    Reply
    • Robert Nachtegall

      Thanks Rusty. I too have spent many hours walking graveyards. I find them good reminders of the brevity of life and to make good use of the time remaining.

      Reply
  6. Margaret Coats

    Admirably paired lines, Robert. We are soon to pass into that privileged time not to forget those in need, but pray them free.

    Reply
    • Robert Nachtegall

      Thank you for the kind words Margaret.
      I’ve been a visitor for some time on SCP and always admired your work. It resonates a profound faith I hope to learn from.

      Reply
      • Margaret Coats

        Thank you for this, Robert. I greatly appreciate knowing it, and hope for interaction here at the Society in the future.

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