“THE DEAD”, by Frederick Lucian Hosmer, 1882

“I cannot think of them as dead
Who walk with me no more;
Along the path of life I tread
They have but gone before.

“The Father’s house is mansioned fair
Beyond my vision dim;
All souls are his, and here, or there,
Are living unto him.

“And still their silent ministry
Within my heart hath place,
As when on earth they walked with me
And met me face to face.

“Their lives are made forever mine;
What they to me have been
Hath left henceforth its seal and sign
Engraven deep within.

“Mine are they by an ownership
Nor time nor death can free;
For God hath given to love to keep
Its own eternally.”