THE NAME

Your name is etched on the polished stone
Like the magic spell of an ancient rune,
It stings my eyes, and it hurts my heart,
But my fingers caress the lines deep cut
By an unknown carver who never knew
That wonderful man who once was you.

It’s only a name on a granite slab,
That I had to come so far to find,
With thousands of others above and below,
But only one could affect me so.
So many years have flown, and now
Just a name on a wall is left to me.
And a memory.

(Alma Wythe Bonebreak)