Black Swan Lament

Still and peaceful glides the swan
Through evening waters;
Gentle ripples betray his path
As dark, he steals to find his rest.
Dark?
Yes, dark,
Not only in his plummage...

He holds my sorrow,
The pain of one well loved
Who wastes away
As evening light
Fades into night.
Death comes to steal
The brave and true
Who should go on.
But life's caught short.
He's gone.

Well, not gone yet,
But rather on the journey of a lifetime;
A path we all must take
But he, too soon.
Nineteen...too young,
Too young to go
And leave us here.

I lay my sadness
On this stately bird.
He carries my grief,
My anger too,
The why that has no answer.
I watch him disappear around a bend.
Will sorrow go like that?
As ripples dissipate
And mirrored form returns,
Will life proceed
As if he never had been here?


reflecting on the imminent death of Ben Elliott, my pastor's son
and praying that God will intervene even yet.