Innocence And Eternity Poem by chris schwartz

The next time you feel like screaming at me,
Girl, Take a walk down to old Oakhill.
Saunter past the grand brick chapel
Climb up over the blacktopped hill.
Take it nice and slow
It's a long way back
Let your thoughts wander
As you walk,
Look around you, to the right and left
Keep moving forward,
But don't look back.
At the end of the road,
There's a tree line,
And to the left of it,
Lies Mike.
He was a classmate of mine
Who died years ago
Shortly after graduating
In Seventy- nine.
To the right of the road,
Are the graves of my folks
They've been there
Such a long time now.
Stand in front of their graves
Pretend that it's me
Scream loudly
Let everything go.
And when you are done,
Listen carefully,
To the silence that echoes near.
It will ring in your ears,
Quite loudly,
The message they will teach you
Will sound eternally clear.
Then grab the milk jug
Give the flowers a drink
That cascade from the iron shepherd's hook
Clear the grass round their granite tombstone
Sighing, just to take one more look.
Then kick the stones
On the blacktop road,
Thinking all that you have left
Is just a gravel path,
Do you still feel the anger
To scream?
Or do you feel love lost
And emptiness
Moments wasted
As time goes swiftly passed.