Ode to Fred Brengelman, March 31, 1928–Sept. 24, 2019
By Richard Iyall
I AM now free of pain in life! I AM now free of fear of death.
I AM now free of ego’s pull. I AM now free to know my soul!
My heart remembers how to love; to let things go and just forgive.
I AM still conscious even now. Though death has come, I live, somehow!
My life was filled with doing things. I love the peace that nature brings.
The energy of leaves brings wealth. They do so much for soil health.
I AM the bushes and the trees. I AM the owls. I AM the bees.
So, nurture everything in life and watch your words to lessen strife.
Be gentle with the ones you see, for I am them and they are me.
I AM of God! I AM divine! I AM the universe, my friend.
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Richard Iyall is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe of Longview, Wash. He has lived in Fresno since 1957. He has written and done photography for the Community Alliance newspaper. Contact him at riyall1@my.scccd.edu.
