All Souls Day

 
 
 

 First comes Halloween
 the “Eve of All Saints”
 then comes All Saints Day
 on November 1st when we
 honor those canonized
 
 Then comes All Souls Day
 where we think of folks in
 Purgatory, kind of a Zoom 
 waiting room for those not 
 bad enough for hell but 
 certainly not ready to be 
 allowed past heaven’s gates
 
 
 The faithful are told to offer
 prayers for the “Souls in 
 Purgatory” for the purpose
 of shortening their time there
 like a celestial parole system
 
 Which may be a good practice
 assuming that there really is:
                 life after death
                 a place called Purgatory
                 a place called Heaven
                 a Warden or other scorekeeper
 I guess it can’t hurt (if you 
 have nothing else to do)   

John F. McMullen is the Poet Laureate of the Town of Yorktown, NY, an adjunct professor at Westchester Community College, a graduate of Iona College, the holder of two Masters degrees from Marist College, a member of the American Academy of Poets and Poets & Writers, the author of over 2,500 columns and articles and 10 books (8 poetry), and the host of a weekly Internet Radio Show (300 shows to date).