all souls day

"Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, 

   'To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb 

    be blessing and honor and glory and might
   forever and ever!'" Revelation 5:13

the young people whose

music was shattered by gunfire

and the little children under

the rubble whose mothers

whispered, 'you are not alone.'

the rough sleepers who

never found the warmth

to keep them alive in bitter winter

and the privileged who took

their last breath in their old beds.

the altar boy left to die

on a split rail fence

and those who have 

never let us forget.

the freedom riders who

endured split heads,

the haters who were

transformed into lovers

by such a powerful witness.

the broken and the bitter

the hopeless and the heartened

those who always expected to be

a part of this chorus 

and those who are shocked

because they never auditioned

all sing with wonder, joy, 

laughter, and love playing

the melody for them.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman