The Dash Poem: Poetry is a powerful form of expression for individuals and even for communities. Poetry often plays an important role in significant life experiences. One of the life experience is the celebration of life after death. It is the moment which reflect on the memories, experiences and all the relationships of lost loved one.
The Dash by Linda Ellis is a beautiful poem that aims to capture the sentiment perfectly. It speaks about the importance of the dash between the birth and death dates on a tombstone. This poem not only honors the life of the deceased but also encourages us to live our own “dash” with the purpose of love and passion.
If you are looking for a way to show your feelings about the loss of a loved one, The Dash is your end, it is offering solace and understanding with deep words. Often it is read at funerals and memorial services, this poem resonates because it mostly highlights how much can be represented by the small dash which is reminding us the profound impact which a single life can have.
The Dash Poem
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
From the beginning…to the end
He noted that first came the date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years
For that dash represents all the time
That they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
Know what that little line is worth
For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before. [/quote]
[quote] When you look upon a tombstone,
Two numbers seem to stand alone.
The year upon this earth they arrived,
And the second was when they died.
What’s more important is rarely seen,
The life story on the dash in between.
Numbers hold the story like two bookends,
When it began and when it came to an end.
The dash is what will tell the story,
Of the resting person’s life history.
But it isn’t displayed like an open book,
That’s why we have to take a closer look. [/quote]
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Let Them Poem
brings the children
to the world.
Then it becomes the earnest duty
of the parents to take care of them,
bestow their love and affection,
teach them etiquettes and
distinguish right from wrong,
co-operate them
till they grow some years old.
They are unique individuals
endowed with mines
of hidden talents and
potentials in them.
The duty of parents
is to support them to
unfold their talents,
make headway and stand on their own,
earn livelihood, name and fame.
Let them learn from
the mistakes of others and
their own.
Never impose your
wishes and dreams,
summon unwanted miseries
and unpleasantness in return. [/quote]
Read More: Best Inspirational Poems about Life
Two Headed Calf Poem
freak of nature, they will wrap his body
in newspaper and carry him to the museum.
But tonight he is alive and in the north
field with his mother. It is a perfect
summer evening: the moon rising over
the orchard, the wind in the grass. And
as he stares into the sky, there are
twice as many stars as usual. [/quote]
