WE'LL SEE THEM AGAIN

The sun has gone to rest beneath the lake,
And one by one the little stars awake;
But do not think because it slips from view,
The sun has bid the earth a last adieu.
We say the sun has "gone to rest" when night
Drops a veil that dims the mortal sight;
But it has risen on another world,
The petals of its golden bloom unfurled,
And there the robin in the treetop sings,
And warmth and light awake all waiting things.

And so "at rest" is what we sometimes say
Of that dear one who gently slipped away;
But he has simply vanished from the earth
To find elsewhere a new and glorious birth;
Lost to our sight a little tearful while,
His tender voice, his quick and eager smile.
But surely as the faithful, rising sun
Returns to bless our eyes, so will this one
Be waiting when the dawn of dawns appears,
So put away your sorrow and your tears,
And know that you will see him face to face,
Whose light already shines in that far place.
--Lois Parrish