The Blessing of the Elephants

Like elephants, we gather in silence,

Circling around the memory of those who passed before.

I doesn’t matter if it isn’t our child,

Our partner, our parent, our brother,

What matters is it was someone’s.

What matters is, it hurts.

We pass the bones around lovingly

one by one, taking time to imagine

the vibrance which they once carried.

When another elephant sounds it’s grief,

we nod our great heads in respect and sadness.

We sob, we sway, we listen close.

We join one another in this sacred moment

because we understand.

It doesn’t matter how much time goes by,

that great healer, that cosmic clock.

May we never pass a memorial without a prayer;

May we never not bless the bereaved.

May we never forget…or be forgotten.

For to honor another’s loss is to honor our own.

We are all connected through our bones.