The White Cedars

The white cedar

Remembers

This land before

My grandfather's Axe

Hallowed

The lands he once tread

Hollowed

The grave on his land

Haunted

The heart in his chest

Harrowed

My memories of him

From howling wind to his last breath

The fragrant timber falling into thawing moss

The wrinkles around his eyes

Absorbed private tears of loss

I am nothing as he was

I shared my thoughts with none

My memory carries only landscapes

My endeavors shared with no one

The white cedar

Remembers

A solitary figure

Lost in the fog

Hallowed

The land I tread

Hollowed

The life I lived

Haunted

The heart in my chest

Haunted…

So none will mourn me

Whether I'm delivered or damned

As I respire into finality

None shall hold my hand

No grieving tears

Staining wind burned cheeks

No wails of sorrow

Echoing into the bleak

Just the memory of the white cedars

Standing in the mist