The Coffin

The coffin stood outside the church court yard as the villagers gathered to pay their last respects. The sky opened up to a glimpse of blue that would soon greet them on their journey to the local cemetery. The deceased was well known and many gathered to say goodbye. I happened to wander there by accident as I made my daily walk. I stood there in the gathering thinking that a parade was about to start. And than I noticed the coffin; simple and yet pronounced. There was a silence in the air, a murmur of sound, more of a shuffling of feet gathering. The coffin was lifted and carried by a group of men, some older than expected, and slowly carried towards the main road. The silence brought out the sound of our footsteps as we neared the cemetery. A slight warm breeze touched my face. Slowly our group moved on and the Men holding the coffin pressed on slowly and with a heavy step.