White crosses dot winding country roads,
Alabaster steeples whisper hope
Across cottage rooftops
Laden with snow.

Faithfully, you tend the flock,
Guiding each soul with care
And preaching of
God's abiding love.

In your youth, you discovered love.
In the silken grasses,
You chased white butterflies
And girls in eyelet dresses

Lifting gossamer net,
You skipped through sunlit meadows
In joyful abandonment-
A butterfly catcher in the wind.

You fashioned love poems
To a lovely maiden
With skin as white as snow.
You lived devoted to that love

That love was long ago.
Today, you sit far removed
From the love that you once knew.
You sit at the table with strangers.

Quietly, you lift your white napkin
To your lips. You fold it carefully
Crease on crease-
And you remember...

Soft Alabama mornings,
Linen tablecloths and crystal glasses
Reflecting Southern light.
You are once again at home.

Your mother's voice drifts
Like clouds across a distant sky.
Her white hair glistens In the evening light.
Her woolen shawl warms the empty room
And you remember love-

Napkins of white,
March silently in place.
Stand row by row on the solemn hill.
Protect the resting place
Of one so dear.

Pearl white gates,
Swing open wide!
White butterflies,
Sing love songs to the stars!