STILL
Do you still see the sunset off to our west
Do you share vistas with us left behind
Can you watch children at play and eagles that fly
Are the sights from up there the same kind?
Do you hear all of us singing the songs that you sang
As we raise our voices in peace
Can you hear mothers praying and crickets that chirp
Can you hear the trumpeting geese?
Do you smell the flowers in the mountains so high
Do you breath in the scent of fresh bread
Can you notice the tang of leaves crushed under foot
Can you perceive if children are fed?
Do you taste the mists that lift in the morn
Do you savor a meal with friends
Can you taste sweet rewards from where you reside
In a place where joy never ends?
Do you still feel snowflakes that fall from our sky
Does sun on your shoulders make you glad
Can you sense the softness of infant's breath
Or the strength of the mountains you trod?
Do you know that friends miss you day after day
Since you left us and flew to the skies
Can you know the joy your voice brings to us
As we dry the tears from our eyes?
-- Shirlee L. Laskarzewski November 20, 1997