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WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

by Yvonne Schneff

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What do you mean when you say,
“She is not here, she is away.
Her spirit’s gone to be with God;
That’s only her body beneath the sod. “
“Only” her body? That angers me.
I love that body, can’t you see?

I love that hand I used to hold,
Those ears that listened to stories told,
The nose I wiped so tenderly,
Those eyes that looked so lovingly,
Those lips that whispered words so dear,
Those feet that brought her ever near.

Her hair I brushed, time after time,
The teeth I brushed to make them shine,
The forehead that I felt with care
Whenever threat was present there.
The curls I gently brushed aside,
The tears I wiped when e’er she cried.

Those arms that gave such wondrous hugs,
Her memory at my heart still tugs.
The chin I held in the palm of my hand,
The cheeks I kissed (all she would stand),
The body I dressed day after day,
My love for that body will not go away!

Is that the body that you mean?
The one that even though unseen,
So sweetly resting quiet and still,
Has power to affect my will
And draw me to its presence where
I stand in quiet reflection there?

It feels so “right” here by her grave
asking God for a heart that’s brave.
It just seems natural being here
after being so close to her year after year.
So, here I stand, face toward the sky,
Keeping vigil with a watchful eye.

Oh, Father, give me peace within.
Help me know that even when
I start to wonder who is there
To take my place and give her care,
There is no safer place to be
Than there, in heaven, safe with Thee.

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