Late autumn and especially November is a time of contemplation for me, as it is the time to remember the deceased. Even though, in my opinion, this commemoration is increasingly being pushed into the background by imported commercial events such as Halloween and Black Friday discount battles. Some time ago, I wrote an article in German on the occasion of the German Protestant Memorial Day for the Dead, ‘Totensonntag’ (Sunday of the Dead), and tried to set a counterpoint to these developments with a selection of poems and prayers about mourning and loss. It is an attempt that I would like to continue this year with five more poems and prayers on these topics.
Silence
Silence in the rooms,
nothing has changed,
as if you had only been away for a moment,
as if all the rooms
were patiently waiting just for you.
In the kitchen
your last newspaper
is still on the table.
The headlines,
long forgotten.
In the wardrobe
your shirts
are neatly lined up
and my fingers lightly brush
over the rough fabric.
Silence in the rooms,
nothing has changed,
I sit here
and wait,
as if you were about to come back.
The dead
Forgotten are the dead,
invisible they stand
at the corners of the houses,
they look silently
through the windows,
waiting in front of
locked doors.
Forgotten are the dead,
in the parks they stand
among the trees,
at the edge of the paths
they look
after the passers-by,
who carelessly walk by.
Forgotten are the dead,
homeless they wander
through streets, across squares,
the years pass,
the images fade,
time indifferently grinds
everything down.
Deathly silent
Death has
silenced me,
I stand before the graves
and find no words,
whether to remember, whether to comfort,
sorrow and despair,
grief and suffering,
stole my voice.
–
God, You call the dead
by name,
however much time passes,
with You everything is preserved,
to all the forgotten,
to all who have been forgotten,
You give comfort to all who have suffered.
–
God, over the shadows,
You pour Your light,
which never fades,
like a flame
over dark waters
Your glory shines,
like the morning light
it awakens the dead.
Lord of Silence
God, Lord of Silence,
among the trees
I seek You,
in the green-gold light
among the leaves,
in the rustling of the wind
in the treetops.
–
God, Lord of Silence,
my heart is so heavy
with sorrow,
no words can
take it from me,
nor can much time
erase it.
–
God, Lord of Silence,
with the dead
I wait in the forest,
by the graves
I say my prayer
with soundless lips,
that the wind may carry it to you.
Memories
Your scent is still
in your clothes.
I pull your coat
tight around me,
and it’s almost
as if
your arms were holding me,
strong and full of warmth.
–
It’s almost
as if I could
hold on to the memory of you,
as if it wouldn’t
fade away more
and more every day
like the scent of you
in your clothes.
These poems and prayers are translations from my German collections ‘Januarstrand’ and ‘Gekritzel auf meiner Haut’, which you can purchase in bookstores and online.
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