The Eulogy

The Eulogy

The good byes had been said.  The sermons were over.
Tears had flowed, but now had stopped.
This was no special crowd of mourners who had come to call.
My brother in law was a musician, after all.
These mourners were going to jam.

Faces contoured as the players concentrate
Minds off in another world
Ears straining for catching the harmony
That the music dictates.

Eyes were far away and unfocused
Seeing something that could only be felt
Hands in motion, as the soul leads the movement
The heat of the passion causing the icy sorrow to melt

My sister had been crying and her eyes had dark rings around them
Yet now she smiled, for the first time in weeks.
Her fiddle bow was moving and those around her
struggled to keep up the pace that her movements commanded.

No sheets of music here for these old time players
All must be done by ear and heart and soul.
The right chords, the blending of sound, all had to be found
By these seekers and givers of their passion and talent.

My brother in law has to be smiling at this from above.
His tribute to a life, one dominated by music.
Played by 60 or so musicians all being pulled into rapture
by the music and fellowship, feeding on the passion that it did capture.

The emotion from the players could be felt in the room,
Like the heat from the oven when the door is opened.
For some it was just a chance to jam or just play
For me it was a fitting eulogy to a musician and friend who had just passed away

My soul rode the music to a celestial plane,
where body has no form, and only love exists. 
Rare is it for me to enter this place, my body and mind won’t allow me to stay
Yet I am a happier man for what I experienced that day.

My friend has passed on to the next stage of his eternal life
He left behind my sister, his wife
Yet even she was smiling as she played
This final eulogy.