Life Questions Death Answers

 

 

Life is the question

Which no one can answer.

Death is the answer

Which no one can question.

 

Therefore,

Live the question

Until you find the answer.

 

The marvel is:

When you find the answer

You will not even know,

And none that knew you

Can light on it throw.

 

I can take no credit

For the first seven lines,

However, the rest of the poem

Is assuredly mine.

 

My thoughts on this matter

Went expressly wild

When one of my best friends ever

Suddenly died.

 

The question of life

Relentlessly overwhelmed

When I learnt that my friend

Had left this earth realm.

 

I will mention his name

For he brought me no shame

And I am grateful he befriended me;

Stephen was his name.

 

Stephen Gittens,

As a matter of fact,

There will never be another

He was as unique as that.

 

In the final hour

Of 2022-01-08,

My friend Stephen Gittens

Became Stephen Gittens, the late.

 

This is a jarring sound

As the many questions emerge

And my heart expresses its grief

In a sorrow filled dirge.

 

 

A pastor and educator:

Two complementary blessings

In which he spent most of his life

Catering to the living.

 

To educate was his hallmark

Be it spiritual or secular

And I dare say with the best I knew

He was definitely on par.

 

Be it preaching or teaching

Stephen was committed, let me say,

And through him undoubtedly

Many found their way.

 

Life was the question

Which Stephen could not answer.

Death is the answer

Stephen cannot question.

 

But how could he

Having left this earth realm?

If only he could give an answer

To all that are overwhelmed!

 

  

But we have a consolation:

Death is not his end!

So, we will grapple with the question

Until then.

 

Stewart Russell © January 10, 2022