Thomas Lynch wrote this award worthy book

back in 2009

and has written several since then,

including some fascinating fiction

surrounding

dying
death
the afterlife 

and not only revealed

 uncovered some of the mystique

but made

D            E            A            T            H

fascinating

After all of these years my favorite

underlined, 
yellow-high-lighted
well-worn-dog-ear’d page

from his book:

T H E       D E A D       D O N ‘ T       C A R E ,
B U T       T H E Y       M A T T E R

They  say

d     e     a     t     h

is so many different things

but make no mistake about this

I   T

I       T    ‘    S

not so much

an

!
(exclamation point)

I  T

absolutely is not a

.
(a period)

where all the words of been said

all the books have been written

and here’s the end.          .          .

it’s not even so much of a

?
(a question mark)

That sums up all of the wise

how comes

they why’s

the what for’s

as   IT   is   a

,
(a Comma)

maybe even a

(semicolon)
;

at best because there’s more

there is so very

v            e            r            y

much more

.          .          .and here’s the deal

you don’t have to bet your life on

I  T

I  T  

just happens and what is

I   T  

The

I    T

is really nothing more than just an ever lasting.      .     .

An ever endless after
and   it’s   better   than   good

wrote a friend for a friend who reminds us

that even though there’s

For Better, For Worse
For Richer, For Poorer
In Sickness, In Health
To Love, To Cherish

there never really is

TILL     DEATH     DO     US     PART

and it’s not only

ok

It’s   FANTASTICALLY

L     I     F     E            G     I     V     I     N     G

Here’s the thing about

M E M O R I E S

They’re overrated

They mean absolutely nothing

They have no meaning

no power

u n t i l

Love is attached to them

It’s not so much that the dead have a voice
or language of their own
so much is the love that is made the memories
everything that they were
everything that they are
and everything that they’ll continue to be.     .     .

TO  THE  LIVING I  AM  GONE
TO  THE  SORROWFUL  I’LL  NEVER  RETURN
TO  THE  ANGRY  I  WAS  CHEATED
TO  THE  HAPPY  I’M  AT  PEACE
TO  THE  FAITHFUL  I’VE  NEVER  LEFT

SO  AS  YOU  LOOK  UPON  A  SEA
OR  SEE  A  FLOWER  
REMEMBER ME

REMEMBER  ME
IN  YOUR  THOUGHTS
IN  YOUR  HEART

OF THE TIMES WE FOUGHT
THE  TIMES  WE  CRIED
THE  TIMES  WE  LAUGHED
THE  TIMES  WE  LOVED

IF  YOU  ALWAYS  THINK  OF  ME
I    WILL  HAVE  NEVER  GONE

THE  MEMORIES  THAT  NEVER  WERE

are some of the most powerful

m e m o r i e s

that there ever can be

mostly because we add strength

to their muscle

with the force of

WHAT  IF

Roger Rosenblatt wrote in his book KAYAK MORNING,

“GRIEF  COMES  TO  YOU  ALL  AT  ONCE, SO  YOU  THINK  IT  WILL  BE  OVER ALL  AT  ONCE,  SO  YOU  THINK  IT  WILL   BE  OVER  ALL  ONCE.  BUT  IT  IS  YOUR  GUEST  FOR  A  LIFETIME. . .AND  HOW  SHOULD  I  TREAT  THIS  GUEST?  THIS  UNWELCOME,  UNINVITED  GUEST?  THINK  OF  THE  ONE  WHO  SENT  IT  TO  YOU!”

It’s great to remember

It’s awesome to dream

It’s better to live

to create

to make 

memories

that continue to live on

way past

death

into

a  forever

m  o  r  e.          .          .

GRAVES  WERE  NEVER  MEANT  FOR  OUR  MEMORIES  OR  OUR  LOVE
(dig.       .      .D I G      D E E P E R)