Notes from the Other Side

For Mikey

Notes from the Other Side
By Jane Kenyon

 I divested myself of despair
 and fear when I came here.

Now there is no more catching
one's own eye in the mirror.

There are no bad books, no plastic,
no insurance premiums, and of course

no illness. Contrition
does not exist, nor gnashing

of teeth. No one howls as the first
clod of earth hits the casket.

The poor we no longer have with us.
Our calm hearts strike only the hour,

and God, as promised, proves
to be mercy clothed in light.

I originally posted this poem back in 2015 and Mikey loved it. I am grateful for this blog because it was through it we got to know each other. My only regret is that I stopped writing after a few years and we drifted apart.