An elegy for a friend who lost his battle with brain cancer, but gained so much more  

Gathered in the waiting room

We watch as you approach the threshold

The door stands wide open

The Mercy Seat beckons

Your face basks in the glory of

Expectant, wild hope

One foot in the open doorway

One foot firmly grounded in earth

On the verge of stepping into the Hall of the King

The ache to go battling the longing to stay

*************

Your entrance to eternity

Looks like an exit from this side

From here to there only a step for you

A chasm we can’t traverse, for now

Wanting to leave nothing unsaid

Words of love mingle with goodbyes

Farewells overshadowed by wistful

Glances to the open door

The impulse to hold you back

Struggles with the desire to set you free

*************

You stepped through the curtain

Into His receiving arms,

Leaving our waiting room dimmer

Warmth and light departing with you

Eternity was tangible and our wait seemed shorter

With you on this side, waiting to go

But the still and always open door beckons us

Knowing you, with Him, await us on the other side

We remain for now in the waiting room

Our mandate to stay fighting our yearning to follow