All Souls Day Poem by Bernedita Rosinha Pinto

All Souls Day,
a celebration,
a time for memories
of those who have departed;
a day of remembrance
of those we love and miss;
a day for prayers,
a day for recollections,
if only had he still been here,
if only had she not to go,
these are questions
we ask ourselves;
grandpas and grandmas
so dear and so affectionate;
great grandparents
whom we have never known
or known for just a few years;
prayers offered to them
and even to our own parents
who have passed away;
or to our own brothers and sisters
who have left this world earlier in time
leaving a deep gash on our hearts
which never really heals.

But to all those who have departed
and to all those who were our ancestors,
to them we dedicate our prayers
on the All Souls Day
for the love and care we got from them
and for the assets and wealth they have left behind;
and for our own genetic constitution
and for the rich energy and vibrancy
they have instilled in us,
and which emanates from them.

And though many have already overcome their grief
over the decades and seasons that have gone by
yet they want to demonstrate their solidarity
as divinity and their own instincts remind them
of their moral duty
to go to the graveyard
and offer prayers, flowers and candles
for the souls of their loved ones;
and as people assemble by the graves and tombs
they diligently pray and comfort themselves
that they have shown their gratitude and reverence
to their ancestors and God
and in return they seek spiritual compassion
upon those souls that are already in God's care.