Ashes To Ground

A man must climb to great heights to honor the words and wishes of another.

-Ashes To Ground-
by Keaton Foster



Sad
The man—
Alone.
He stands
There,
At the edge,
Looking out,
Taking it all in.
But nothing
Comes into view.
A nothing he
Cannot bear,
A nothing
He truly fears.

Clarity,
Through the lens
Of duality.
New is his reality,
Revealed
By the end of another’s—
One he dearly loved.

Now, he’s empty
In a world of wolves.
Exposed,
He stands no chance.
Still, he persists,
Grieving
In his own way,
In his own time.

In his hands—
A tin of ashes.
The remains
Of all he could be,
All that was asked of him—
Burned,
Pulverized,
Obliterated.

Pounds of flesh
Turned to dust,
In honor of
Another’s final request.
A will,
A testament.

The final line read:

"Raise me up.
Take me above.
Lift me to the clouds—
Or as close as you can.
Find a way
To bring me nearer to God
Then I could ever go alone.
Once there,
Ask for kindness.
Speak of forgiveness.
Tell Him I tried
To remain a lamb
In a world
Of impossible creatures.
And when you're done—
When there’s nothing left to say—
Scatter my ashes.
Leave no trace.
Let nothing remain
That ties me to this place."

So, it was said,
So, it was asked.

Ashes to the ground.
He—a believer
In the truth of those words—
Has found a way.
Climbed
To unimaginable heights.
Closer to God, he seems.

Now, he dreams
Of another place,
Another time—
Before all of this.
But wishing—
Pointless.

So, he does
What must be done.
He obeys.
There is no room
For dereliction.

And so,
All that was meant
To be,
All he was meant
To do—
Takes flight,
For just a moment.
Then, just as quickly,
Falls.

Like him,
There is no gathering it back,
No returning
To what it was.
Only fragments
Of what remains.

His everything—
Gone.
His new nothing:
Dust.


Ashes To Ground
Written by Keaton Foster Copyright © 2008-2018