Ye stand erect or lay supine,

Worldly barrier to Heaven or Hell.

In hopes a life you lived sublime,

“Til the gates of pearl cannot we tell.

~~

Simple truth or solemn quote,

With chisel and hammer etched in stone.

A life as full and wholesome promote,

In passing ye set the living tone.

~~

In years to come when pall has passed,

A testament be left to remain.

Symbol of a life lived to outlast,

What flesh and bone cannot sustain.

~~

Though grass may grow to overgrown ,

And the marble be weathered and worn.

For a time to come the living will know,

When you died and when you were born.

~~

In this, ev’n the humble may gain solace,

Great riches nor fame are of import.

Most human of rituals must surely befall us,

Whence this stone stands in tribute and retort.

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~