We Sing As The Days Go By

Upward, upstream and uphill we go
Braving the scorch and the wind;
With each climb our limbs strengthen
And our hearts, skilled with each fall.

We sing as the days go by;
Casting old worries aside, we make peace
With ourselves and the world
For soon will our feet be washed by eternity’s genesis.

There, at the shading shed overlooking the lake
We contemplate on our journey made;
Stories that line our faces deepen,
With the setting of the evening sun.

We will stay for the night, to rest
And dream of younger days;
When words were puzzles and riddles,
And love, an embittering enigma.

For when we wake to the new day,
We will rise with the dawn, knowing
How time has changed everything
And placed all things to perfection.

Note: My ancestors believed that upon death, the soul crosses ‘Rih’ lake and reaches ‘Hringlang Tlang’, a hill from where the soul can see the mortal folk. Here on this hill is an enchanted spring, whose ‘lunglo tui’ waters cause oblivion; ensuing the soul to forget its memories. Once the soul is captivated by ‘hawilo par,’ a magical flower that prevents the soul from looking back, the soul is finally freed to enter into ‘pialral,’ or heaven.

This poem is about growing old and coming to terms with life in all its surprises and bafflements; to accept and let go; to forgive and to heal for once our journey is over, all that really matters is peace.