A Passing Poem by Bill Galvin

A Passing

A big bright moon shone off the snow that night
And the sharp-edged shadows
Made the whole world seem to be under one lone streetlight.
The quiet starkness pierced into the soul,
While, next door, a world had been turned upside down,
As two friends and their family said goodbye to their dear Johnny.

The frigid winter wind has never been cursed in that house,
As every new day is wonderful and is accepted without complaint…
But this day was not like any other.

Never a word did he speak in his forty years, never a step did he take;
But we all remember the laughing, smiling Johnny,
Who lived inside a world so much unlike our own.

He was never in a cage… he was not allowed to feel that limited.
He shopped in the malls, and observed, and mingled with us all…
From his room he saw the natural world of flowers and trees;
He saw the same rain and snow and stars that we all see.
He traveled wherever his wheelchair could be taken,
And saw open spaces and mountains and oceans and rainbows.

Johnny never walked, and he never talked…
But he knew how to convey a hearty laugh and a wide smile…
That is what his family taught him.
They lovingly included him in every activity that they could,
And shared family conversation with him,
And watched over him with a deepness of concern and light.

Friends and caregivers from over the years, they gathered
To reflect on what they had learned from knowing Johnny…
And from knowing the family…
There are no limitations where there is love.
To give more than would be expected, to transform a restricted life
Into one that reflected back unlimited smiles and laughs.
Simple, uncomplicated, unselfish care…
Simple, unconditional, uncompromising love.

Oh, there was grief… there were tears…
Early on, when they heard that Johnny would not grow like other kids;
And tears again, now forty years later,
When they heard from the emergency room doctor
That the insidious corona virus had taken another…
Another of the frailest of the frail, the most fragile of the fragile.

And there was the grief shared round the family table…
That personal pain that we all feel after the loss of a close one…
When we see that we can no longer hold them here;
But we can still hold them… there… within our sweet memories.

Johnny was laid to rest amidst song and testimony,
With banners on flowers reading 'Son', 'Brother', 'Uncle'…
And love, memory, and respect were shared among the congregation.

Forty years is a lifetime for some… short, no doubt…
But, we can be content when all we've done is the best we could do,
And know that it was enough… it was enough…
The proving was in Johnny's smile and in his hearty laugh,
And seeds of doubt have no place to sprout around here.

The winter moon gives way to snow,
As the Seasons persist in their journeys;
And the wild birds continue their searches for seed,
And nocturnal wildlife leave their tracks nearby;
And dormant trees hold strong to the promise of Spring;
And the Earth, it keeps on turning…
And we will always be warmed by our memories most pleasing.