Bury My Bones (Interlocking Rubaiyat)

Bury my bones in the bole of a tree

when the breath of life is no more in me,

when the ghost escapes the port of my eyes

into the afterlife pleased to be free.

 

When the moon is high and the waters rise,

dress me in starlight beneath dreaming skies;

and plant my roots where I will bloom again

in a place where the spirit never dies.

 

Firmly conceal me within leafy vein

inside chambered echoes of strings of rain.

Within a palace of emerald thrones,

let me find peace that will ever remain.

 

Set me within a monument of stones

where my birthname is carved in earthen tones.

Where the river flows and the birds are free

find that sacred tree and bury my bones.

Author's Note

Reviews

[red93]

Fabulous reflection on mortality and immortality. Great imagery carefully woven ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Sami Khalil]

A song of lamentation, a call of death anticipation, a hope for immortalization, a poet's life celebration.

[Ken Simm.]

This is a song. A song of death but not a sad one. It rether celebrates and holds the reader throughout. The flow and rythmn move gently through the shoals of death and into the veins of the subject tree. Still growing.

[Kelly Scheppers]

A lament to death, with a most haunting repose. I love the subtle rhyme, the analogy of the tree, " in a place where the spirit never dies". I could see this being read at a wake, by a priest in a graveside benediction. Brilliant presentation, Linda! I love it!

[willweb]

Now this one really appeals to me. The form is nice and is fun to read but the theme, the underlying mystery surrounding this. It feels enchanted and quiet, like a whisper in the woods. I loved this.

[John the Baptist]

Interesting rhyme scheme in this one. The arboreal imagery seems to indicate a desire to return to nature, but the speaker's sentiments incline toward a peaceful afterlife. The overall picture is of one who has suffered and longs for something better.