Should you go first and I remain
To walk the road alone,
I'll live in memory's garden, dear,
With happy days we've known.
In spring I'll wait for roses red,
When fades the lilac blue,
In early fall, when brown leaves call,
I'll catch a glimpse of you.
Should you go first and I remain
For battles to be fought,
Each thing you've touched along the way
Will be a hallowed spot.
I'll hear your voice, I'll see you smile,
Though blindly I may grope,
The memory of your helping hand
Will buoy me on with hope.
Should you go first and I remain
To finish with the scroll,
No length'ning shadows shall creep in
To make this life seem droll.
We've known so much of happiness,
We've had our cup of joy,
And memory is one gift of God
That death can not destroy.
Should you go first and I remain,
One thing I'd have you do:
Walk slowly down that long, lone path,
For soon I'll follow you.
I'll want to take each step you take,
That I may walk the same,
For someday down that lonely road
You'll hear me call your name.
by a.k. rowswell
1 comment:
When I was a senior medical student at the Medical College of Alabama in Birmingham (1952) my father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an invariably fatal (at that time) disease of the bone marrow. A staunch Christian and Sunday School teacher, he accepted the news with as much equanimity as one could expect, never complaining, but he could not discuss it with my mother.
One Saturday night Mom and Pop were listening to the Grand Ole Opry when Red Foley read this poem, and sang Beyond The Sunset. They grew very quiet and wouldn't look at each other; Mom had a piece of paper in her hand and, head down, kept folding it smaller and smaller. With tears in my own eyes, I had to leave the room. A short time later, Pop was the first to go.
Today, more than fifty years later, I was in a store when I heard the poem and song. I stood there with tears in my eyes, and lived those moments again.
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