The Living Visit

My father built his life on solid ground, And words he spoke, a wisdom found. "Don't bring your flowers to my stone, When all my vibrant life has flown. If while I breathe, you stay away, What use is mourning on that day?" For love, like laughter, needs a sound, A living presence, all around. Why wait until the voice is hushed, The spirit gone, the body crushed? A simple truth, profound and deep, A seed of understanding planted there to keep. For why would hearts, once distant, cold, Seek out a silence, stories left untold? While I can speak, and hold, and see, That's when your presence matters, dear, to me. If in these days, you fail to call, Then truly, you don't care at all. "No eulogy, no solemn tread, Can mend the silence left unsaid. So come now, while my heart still beats, Or spare your steps down lonely streets."