by Br. Rufino Corona, T.O.R.
I have always been
perplexed by what the mind remembers
The precious moments
that rewind the driving tick of the clock
Whether it is
rummaging through a biker’s dirty leather vest
Or telling a young
immigrant family that their baby will not survive
Or searching through
your mind looking for the “right thing” to say
Hoping that whatever
you come up with will change their reality
It is interesting
that my mind doesn't remember my first death
But I am completely
certain that it will never forget my last
And as I scroll
through all of the faces that I never saw speak
Remembering the names
doomed to be lost in confidentiality
I realize that my
life has moved forward much to my dismay
While the crying eyes
are slowly losing the redness they've carried
Time, you cruel and
heartless slavedriver
Lightening a load we
wish would overwhelm us
But I will never
forget the “non-viable’s” beat red head
His bulging eyes and
ten webbed fingers and toes
I will never forget
the pictures that the suegra showed me
How only his bright
tattoos showed any semblance of his former self
And I will never
forget how her heart and mine simultaneously raced
As the holy water
rolled off of her small wrinkled forehead
But at last while I
sit on this dark and quiet evening
Gazing into the eyes
of my compassionate consoler
I can't help but hope
that the cruel and heartless will never best me
That this load I
willingly carry will always weigh more than the air
