Sunday Poem: Yehuda Amichai

Death in war begins
With one young man
Descending the stairs.

Death in war begins
With closing a door in silence,
Death in war begins
With opening a window to see.

Hence, do not weep for the one who goes,
Weep for the one who descends the stairs of his house,
Weep for the one who puts his last key
In his back pocket.
Weep for the picture that remembers instead of us,
Weep for the paper that remembers,
Weep for the tears that do not remember.

And in the spring,
Who will stand up and say to the dust:
From man you came and to man you shall return

Yehuda Amichai
From Man You Came and To Man You Shall Return