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A Pool Hall Tribute to
Death
January 22, 2006 Dedicated to the Memory of Relatives and Friends
 Hayride climbed on top of
the newest table in The Pool Hall—down at east end—near the old tattered
curtain that covered the window—and he sat down on a stool atop the
table. He was getting ready to talk for a few minutes as a means to pay
respect. Everyone huddled around to listen. There were Goat Eyes, Fish
Eyed Fool, Purple Passion Girl, Secret of Victoria, Thunder and
Lightning, Gertie, Sweet and Sour, Louisville Slugger, William Wallace,
Jazz Girl, Fly Girl, Daisy Mae, The Parson, The Prof, Harley Davidson
Motorcycle Person, Beyond Basic Training—USA, Horsefly, Honey, Big D,
The Tallapoosian, The Emir, The Prince, Big R, King Fish, Beak, Squeaky
and others.
Hayride began--
The Landis Funeral Home is located on Douglas Street in
Malden. Parking space was scarce as the blue foreign made SUV
that has resulted in the loss of American jobs to foreign
countries was piloted into a parking space with The Prof at the
wheel, and the nearest spot was a fairly good distance from
front door. It was a long walk across the lot to find a spot in
the line of people gathered to pay their respects. The wind
blew cold causing the hair to wave and the Joan Baez Falling
Hard Rain caused the body to shiver! Finally, relief for the
shivers could be felt as entry was made into the door and the
line of people waited.
Words did not come easily when ole friends and family were
seen--a wave, a hug, words expressed resembling idle chatter,
idle chatter, idle chatter! The people came and went
pondering the events of the past few days!
Their standing near
the foot of the casket was the Angel of Death--
The greeting of 'Hello
Hayride, My Dear Friend' could be heard.
'That is a tough greeting
this evening' replied Hayride.
The sign of
peace was
given by the Angel, and Hayride returned the gesture.
Together, they watched
the mourners at the visitation. They
had come to say goodbye on this earth to a friend--some for a
season, some for a lifetime! The thought occurred that even
at this moment the Angel of Death was
present as we all stood in the line to make our way toward the
casket to pay our respects--to say farewell--the
thought kept darting through
the mind as to whose shoulder will the
perch be made next in
order to take the spirit of a
person
to complete the transfer to a power greater than ourselves! Often
sudden, without warning--sometimes expected--never relished!
Perhaps it is time to think--can
an individual afford even to have one moment to fail to live with
intent, can
even one second of life be trivialized, must one
ever abandon the perpetual effort to seize each
second in order to live with the greatest intensity feasibly
possible for a human being and should
one ever minimize in the slightest way the
personal thirst to drink gusto gulps from the trough of life? Never
ever should
be the overwhelming answer to the overwhelming question?
Life is so wonderful,
precious and cherished--names were signed, memories were recorded
and the mass of people moved to take seats in the chapel to
visit--to stoically talk with satisfaction about the past and to
sometimes whimsically ponder the future in terms of the past and the
present!
A
kind comment was mustered forth, and a walk outside to stand beneath
the barren trees to gaze up into the cold, rainy and blustering
evening sky.
The intent was to pose the overwhelming question to a power greater
than a human being?
Train sounds--iron on iron--could be heard from across the nearby
railroad tracks--a societal demarcation line--as the engines pulled
the cars toward a destination known only to the engineer. Oh, just
to hear the lonesome sound of the whistle of the locomotive--that
would some way make one feel better! The Angel of Death had
departed--gone to the next rendezvous which will be a perch on a
shoulder of a person without
regard to age, time or life purposes of the
individual and a power
greater than ourselves will be heard speaking through the
Angel of Death--'My good and faithful servant--you have fought a
good fight, you have finished the course, and now your spirit will
abide with me forever . . . in a house filled with many mansions . .
. if it were not so, I would have told you . . . if I go to prepare
a place for you . . . I will come again to receive your spirit.'
The lyrics of favorite
songs flashed through the thoughts--
'I will remember you
Will you remember me
Don't let your life pass by
Weep not for the Memories'
Sarah McLachlan
or
'Time is a wheel in constant
motion always rolling us along
Tell me who wants to look back on their years
And wonder where those years
have gone' Lee Ann Womack
'Your life is now--Your life
is now--Your life is now
In this undiscovered moment
Lift your head up above the
crowd
We could shake this world
If you would only show us how
Your life is now' John
Mellencamp
Friends are quiet angels who
lift us to our feet when we have fallen! Unknown
Farewell--it was good to know
you and to love you, and thanks for the kindness and the memories!
Horsefly and Combat Girl, the Co Owners of The Pool Hall,
help Hayride down and life resumes in The Pool Hall--Gertie chalks up her cue,Fly Girl challenges her to a game of pool. The Parson raises his head from a slumber whispering The
Lord's Prayer.
The Emir treats everyone to the beverage of choice, and the wind could be heard whistling
direful sounds of
'Oh, Death where is thy sting, Oh, Grave where is thy victory'
around the corner of The Pool Hall.
Hayride leaves the building and spins his tires in the
gravel in a youthful manner thinking about answers to the
overwhelming questions of life and the hereafter?
"Funeral For A Friend" Elton John |
