Samantha Terrell
Solace
Precious in the sight of Jehovah is the death of his faithful ones.
-Psalm 116:15
Slipping in through the side gate,
I walk between rows of headstones
Unknown to me – bones long buried.
I breathe you in. Today, you’re
Early fall, late afternoon scent of dormancy
Settling in – my own bones begin to feel it.
Here lies Smith, or Franklin,
Or Abrams, and the
“Precious in the sight of Jehovah.”
A moment of awkwardness strikes as I wonder if coming through the side gate is okay.
Yes, my journey is with you and where you are is always okay
Even the sun slips peacefully now, through latent trees, behind life’s mountain.
About the writer:
Samantha Terrell is a widely published American poet. Her poetry has appeared in many fine publications, such as Dissident Voice, Dove Tales, Dwelling Literary, Ink Pantry, Lucky Jefferson, Nine Cloud Journal, Poetry Quarterly and others. Her collection Vision, and Other Things We Hide From is forthcoming from Potter’s Grove Press. Samantha and her family reside in Upstate New York, where they enjoy kayaking on still waters.
Image: Despair (study for By the River of Tuonela fresco in the Sigrid Juselius Mausoleum) by Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931). No medium specified. 29.5 x 19.6 inches. 1903. Public domain.
