Heaven’s gate

I will see you on the other side of the stars
– Rumi

It is the day of Oakhillside’s funeral, nine days after her death. It was at midsummer’s night that she followed the field path down to the door of paradise. This is where we shall bury her today, under the blossoming magnolia tree. As are walking behind her coffin in a solemn procession of family and friends, I suddenly notice a tiny shrew on the path. Oh dear! I quickly bow down and scoop her with a piece of paper. Everyone behind us stops, wondering what is going on… we quickly walk on. When we arrive at the magnolia I recite a summer’s poem, no one aware of the little creature underneath these words. As the coffin is lowered, we decide to bury the shrew along with our beloved. As the church bells are ringing we cover them with earth and rose petals.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *