Published as Wong, P. T. P. (2016). A very thin line. In L. Hoffman & S. Fehl (Eds.), Journey of the wounded soul: Poetic companions for spiritual struggles (pp. 42-43). Colorado Springs, CO: University Professors Press.

Written on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2005. In memory of Ruby Lee, my mother-in-law.


A very thin line
Of invisible ink
Beyond which
There’s no return

The farthest reaches
Of the human mind
Cannot comprehend
What lies behind
The darkly shroud

Death was kind to her
A much needed rest
After a long rough ride
No fears, no regrets
Just looking back
With a kindly eye
She waved goodbye
With a gentle smile

Now descending alone
Into the bowel
Of dark cold earth
Sealed by a rock

Over the vast expanse
Of time and space
I hear the echoes
Of Calvary Hill
On this day of Passion
A double death-blow

But the earth can’t defy
What heaven declares
Nor can the grave
Hold back
The seed of life

Here we all stand
On snowy ground
The world of tombs
Bear silent witness
To lives lived and
Deaths mourned

Beside her resting place
A lone birch tree
Tells its silent tales
Of falling leaves
Weeping in the wind
But whispers to my ears
The return of spring

Wandering through
The fantasy land
Of gracious living
Desperately seeking
A golden moment

Then by chance
I stumble upon
The face of tomorrow
Just beyond
The setting sun