Flight of the Osprey

The week before
My father-in-law grew
Cold hard as a statue then sprouted
White baptismal wings and flew
.
I saw an osprey
Soaring above the sea
Where my father-in-law fished
As a little boy
.
Heard it calling
To spirits caught in the currents
Between earth and sky
Guiding them home
.
Saw it fishing
For souls lost in the waves
Unable to leave this world
Giving them freedom of flight
.
And knew
That my father-in-law
Would fly
With the osprey
.
•••