To Him we shall return

They are leaving us one by one 
The always-been-there uncles and aunties 
The longstanding pillars of our community 
The landmarks dotted along our life’s journey 

And each time someone leaves we say 
To Him we belong and to Him we shall return 
Quranic wisdom to balance grief with patience 
A gentle reminder that death is a part of life 

But speaking these words also reminds us 
Our nearest must someday leave too 
And we are taking their presence for granted 
We must start looking at them anew 

And we notice that without us noticing 
Because we’ve been standing too close to see 
Their faces are etched with new lines 
Their frames have a new frailty 

So we raise our hands and we ask Him 
Not to recall them to Him too soon 
And to give them good health until their very last breath 
And make sure they’re not alone at the moment of death 

And though we hope it won’t apply for a long time yet 
We raise our hands in prayer once again 
And ask that when it comes to our turn to return 
He grants to us the same