The Pale Blue Dot

Death is an expected event.

It’s not meant to take you by surprise,

It’s not meant to wet dry eyes, for the

hearse awaits in everybody’s life.

And when a person dies the world spins on

around the sun,

a pale blue dot

in this heaven-reaching universe.

When a person ages and has paid

life’s wages, they know that soon they will

turn the page and reach the back-cover

of the book.

And they know if then they look below from above-

            Or above from below-

            Or outside from within-

they will see that the pale blue dot will

continue to spin around the sun,

And that Death does not stop the sun from rising.        

Death, nevertheless, still seems to come

out of the blue, losing those who once

were here every day and now have

gone away to some place other than

Here.

And even after sickness or old

age, even when we are sage enough

to expect the expected,

in the moment that we hear the news,

we are confused,

thinking it would happen tomorrow,

or yesterday,

but not right now.

And though the loss gives us pain that will

always remain, we shouldn’t complain.

Instead we should smile, for though we are

shocked by that which we knew all the while,

nature is not.

And our pale blue dot will continue

to spin around the sun

in this heaven-reaching universe.