Ruby’s Farewell Song
(Ruby Estes 1920 – 2013, Grandlake, Colorado)
At the service
Under a tent of blue
Color of the lake and sky
In a place that once was wild
On a hill over looking
The town
A favorite picnic spot for bears
Before the people came
They are gone now, too
Friends and family gathered
There
To say goodbye
A bird in flight caught my eye
At the edge of tent and sky
Flitting and dancing
I looked again
It wasn’t a bird at all
Instead a butterfly
As big as my hand
Yellow and black
Bridge between
Life and death
It seemed to know…
Waved farewell
With graceful wing
A rock was placed
“RIP”
This was no retreat
Simply the end
Of a long paved road
No longer stable
A bend in the road…
Your tiny feet took
The other path
Followed the lane
Through the meadow
Into the wood
In search of an island
You could call your own
With the people that you know
You turned and waved
And whispered
“Remember Me”
Note: Sorry my “unstable” became “No longer stable,” sometimes it just works out that way. Still, a few words to remember a woman, strong as steel, who will be remembered by all who knew her. RIP Ruby Estes, Grand Lake, Colorado.
bird, bridge, unstable, wild, bend, rock,
retreat, bear, lane, fallen, meadow, island
annellannell 