"She is no longer here," we say.
Not here? Then where?
For "here" is all that we can ever know.
Beyond, hereafter, over there—
What are these
But mortals' feeble efforts to explain
That which we think exists beyond our present ken?
But consciousness is ever here,
And carries her along in ceaseless flowing life,
In vital movement,
Though unseen by those whose "here"
Seems different from her own.
But still the unselfed love,
The generous giving of herself,
The joys, the victories,
And, yes, the struggles, too,
As God's demand "Go forward"
Is progressively fulfilled.
The work well done—
Divine command obeyed—
Does not require repeating
But moves her on from scene to scene
To ever clearer view,
Until that consciousness, forever here,
Awakes to full perception of
The ultimate and now of Life—
God and man, ever at one.
This is the here and now for me as well.
I rise content; Life breaks the mortal spell.
