SHADOWS OF SENTRIES WHISPERING THEIR WISDOM

I clearly remember the very first time it happened,
It was my very last summer before I started school,
Yet, as I write this, it began more than fifty years ago.

I took to my bedtime with my usual routine and prayer,
Once my head hit the pillow, I was asleep or so I thought,
My surreal experience left me in doubt to this day.

I laid awake in the middle of the summer’s brisk night,
When I replayed the events of my carefree summer’s day,
Dark silhouettes of two older men surfaced by my side.

I tried focusing my eyes to the night’s darkness by blinking,
But their figures dissolved into the blackness of night,
Leaving me questioning of what I had just encountered.

Sometime later in my childhood, sitting with my parents,
I shared my dream while we flipped through old photo albums,
With each photograph, they had a story or more to share.

Each page of the album brings to life the near distant past,
Illusions of a family reunion stirred my mind,
With the new family I just met through photos and tales.

Many passed away long ago, prior to my own birth,
Those left, struggled living under the dark iron curtain,
Yet, I felt as if I have known them for all my days.

Upon flipping the page, I see familiar faces,
With a puzzled gaze, my eyes fixed on two distinct photos,
Yet In turn, I felt as if their eyes calmly staring back.

Undeniably, the photos were older than I am,
Armed with my questions, I was ready to probe my parents,
From the moment I saw the photo of those two older men.

I tried to find their place in my mind, but my time ran out,
Yet, my curiosity of this phenomenon prevailed,
At the moment my Mom and Dad exposed their identity.

At first, did I hear correctly? they’re my grandfathers?
With an affirmative nod, they continued sharing stories,
I shared, those two older men were my visitors of my night.

They’re the ones peacefully stood as unseen guardians,
Whom often dropped in and stood by the foot of my bed,
When insomnia’s demon robbed me a perfect night’s sleep.

Not just once or twice, but each time I met uncertainty,
Not just adversity faced, but life’s major milestones,
Not all the time, just when I needed solace and support.

Shielding the threshold of sleep and keepers of all my dreams,
I no longer feared but welcomed and embraced their spirits,
As omens of faith and promise of all will be okay.

As I became less young and took the rites of adulthood,
Their unbroken presence assured they weren’t childhood dreams,
Nor just photographs transforming into reality.

Arriving when I’m half asleep, I heard their whisper,
With each sharing words of wisdom in their native tongue,
As if it was only meant for my ears to hear their say.

In times of my greatest need, they were always there with me,
With time, their presence brought both relief and reassurance,
Leaving me with an uncanny calmness and inner peace.

Once their message was spoken, they fade with the night’s darkness,
Leaving their wisdom, woven in my tapestry of life,
A sense of serenity greeted me with the morning’s sun.

Both gone for many years before my time, but not forgotten,
Their images forever frozen and sealed in my mind,
Weaving fragments of their cloth in who I am today.

Learning the shadows following me weren’t just mine alone,
But those of my grandfather’s passing their light of wisdom,
Reminding me, they’re sentries of my family’s lineage.