Altar of Memories

A living culture
unfolds itself before the world.

Flashes of bright hues
unearth the bold spirits of bravery;
candle flames heighten the fireworks
that linger in the bloodstreams of spirits,
how do we know this?

How do we know?

Marigolds embody the fragrance
of a passage where ceased breaths
return to discover their homes again,
veils of a midnight heaven
vivify echoes by existing beneath them
in a humbled essence,
where do they dwell?

Wooden rosaries entwine with faith
to connect the living to their loved ones,
and pale skulls bring to light
the beauty of bones
that will forever echo of being alive,
of being graceful, of being,
even when the skin has withered away.