Winter Cemetery

A winter night – the gates are locked

To guard the dead's serene repose.

But Nature's life abounds within

That snow-borne tracks clearly disclose.

Against this snow-blanched winter scene

The tombstones stand in stark relief

With chiseled epitaphs displayed

To honor those who lie beneath.

But it is Nature's poetry

Transcribed by tiny feet in snow

That do provide a depth of soul

That words in stone cannot bestow.

And I shall lie content to know

That squirrels, scribbling in the snow,

Are writing epitaphs for me

Upon my grave that all can see.

And though the sun and wind and rain

Erase them time and time again,

There'll be new poets to the site

To honor me by what they write.

2000

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter