Still I am Waiting
by David P. von Schlichten (March / April 2005 — Volume 21, Number 2)
Still I am Waiting
Your blue urn of ashes
is my one carry-on item.
You wanted me to have it interred
next to our parents back home.
The x-rays at the airport could not
penetrate the bronze.
The guard’s eyes clicked from bored to puzzled.
I said, “They’re just my sister’s ashes.”
He said, “Don’t seem right to open it. Wait here.”
He added, “Sorry, man,” and left.
That was thirty minutes ago.
Still I am waiting for clearance to board the plane,
hoping that, at such a high, blue altitude,
I will feel your presence.
David P. von Schlichten is pastor of St. James Lutheran Church, Youngstown, Pennsylvania.