Strangers came to my grandmother's funeral. They came to say goodbye. To say goodbye to a woman that I never knew. Because legacy is this odd thing full of surprises. We plan for it but we cannot be the hand that guides a universe we do not fully understand. I knew her well. Lived with her for years. She loved me as a son and I her as a mother but these strangers knew a woman, by given name and I knew my grandma and that they were the same person is something I struggle with to this day. I don't know who will or even who won't attend my funeral, should there be one. I don't know if Grandma knew, either.
It must be so quiet at the end. I've heard it's peaceful. But these questions. Unanswered. Drives me up a ******* wall. All broken promises clueless leads and feeling all unsolved.
In endings there is room to forgive the vilains of the piece and there is space enough to finally breathe. Heroes take their victory lap. And over the face of the fiction there is the deep quiet of gods at rest. At rest without total closure, because often some threads went unresolved. Questions. But the unanswered questions plague only the audience. The characters are at peace with the thready nature of these things. They aren't looking to answer every question, they only ever wanted to slay the dragon and win the day and ride off into that sweet good night never to be asked to lift a hammer or a sword toward unfinished purpose again.
But the questions plague me still.
Strangers came to my grandmother's funeral. To pay respects to a woman they all knew that I did not. I don't know what became of them. I don't know what becomes of me. Unanswered questions but the deathly quiet end is growing larger on that horizon and I'm still all unsolved.