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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Friday, March 11, 2011

The Children's Hour *

image source
It's the Children's Hour again and the ghosts come out to play
Some must be coaxed from hiding spots
Some are loud and boisterous tots
We welcome them into our room
We don't shoo them away
At the Children's Hour

We build them altars out of clay
We paint their portraits with our crayons
With feathers, glitter, and glue
We construct our own memento mori
And decorate them with colorful beads
     to wear around our necks
At the Children's Hour

We are not afraid of ghosts here
We have seen them all
Even the monsters that live
in your dreams
And make you think of terrible things
That make you mad or make you scream
They're welcome here too
At the Children's Hour

Every ghost has a story to tell
Perhaps about heaven or maybe about hell
Even a silent ghost
Has a lot to say
At the Children's Hour

This poem was inspired by my work with a children's bereavement group through Hospice.

submitted for Poets United, Thursday Think Tank #39 - Ghosts