Naked feet in the dark sand
beside ever darker water.
The boy raises his thin
reasoned hands, beseeching.
Two adults, in a litany of silence,
stare at the emptiness left by the sea.
Something is gone and these flagellants
heads bowed to the blue night
wait for a new century with its numbing forgetfulness.
But Death deserves no such respect.
Children know best; listen to him now
before he grows as cowardly as you.
He has a message: Look up.
We are still here. Join me.
Gordon Jay Frost studied poetry at Interlochen and the University of Michigan and later served in the National Endowment for the Arts literature program. His poems appeared in Contact II, Metier, The Washington Dossier, The Interlochen Review, and The Red Wheelbarrow. Afterward, he embarked on a four-decade career in philanthropy, advising organizations around the world and publishing widely on international fundraising and social good. A frequent speaker and host of The Philanthropy Masterminds Series, he has addressed audiences across five continents. Though his professional life has centered on philanthropy, poetry has remained a constant companion, and he now returns to publishing his work.