Natural Cycle

In honor and remembrance of our dear HUU members Don Krech and Jo Anne St. Clair who died in the past two weeks. They will ever be in our hearts.

Natural Cycle

The lively energy of Duck Run draws me
to follow the track past the farmyard, the Dutch barn
and the fields of corn that stretch beyond
the wide meadow sloping down
towards the creek.

The spirit of this lovely place stirs through me.
The emerald valley is like a Greek god’s open palm
offering mortals precious jewels.
The Appalachian mountains rear round the west.
The backs of the Blue Ridge hunch round the east.
Close up, Massanutten Peak peers
over the pastures. From the gazebo, I gaze down
to the little bridge across the pond below.
Red-winged blackbirds wheel over cattails,
blue-black dragon-flies dart and dive.

At noon, I stroll round the pond and over the bridge.
I pass under two native cedars shading
reeds and marsh ferns where toads grunt,
turtles blop and ducks float on shimmer.
In the warmth, steaming vapors
rise from the luminous waters.

At dusk I lift up my eyes. Above the western hills
clouds blossom with pink and gray. The turning
sky embroiders its blue with golden threads.

Duck Run is where bodies of the dead
lie beneath the grasses. Slabs of local slate
laid flat mark their graves, names and dates incised.

Because the cemetery is natural, the living
who choose to celebrate their final rest here
know their legacy will sustain this land
held in sacred trust for ever.

The soil holds the histories of those buried here.
No monuments, coffins or metal caskets, no fine robes
of polyester or nylon. No embalmings pretend
hearts still pump in flesh and bones.

Instead, the rich earth breathes out a symphony
of praise. Whenever Duck Run
calls to me, I’ll hear its energy in flutes piping
in the dew at dawn and violins singing
through the trees at dusk.

Note: Duck Run is a certified natural cemetery in Penn Laird, VA, near Harrisonburg. Several members and friends of our congregation have opted for this sacred place for their final resting place.