Will you be calling to The Dearly Departed this Christmas?

 

A new poem that reads like a ritualistic invocation—half prayer, half spell—meant to reach someone who has died. 

Rather than telling a story, it enacts a moment: a speaker deliberately crossing a spiritual boundary to seek contact.

Title: The Call to The Dearly Departed.

“Dearly departed” is a traditional phrase for the dead, especially loved ones.

“The Call” suggests an active attempt to reach them, not passive mourning. 👉 The poem is about communication across death, not simply grief.

“(A lone voice whispers)”

Sets an intimate, secretive tone.

Implies solitude, vulnerability, and seriousness. 👉 This is a private ritual, not a public prayer.

Midnight, candle, spirit guides.

Midnight: a liminal time—between days, associated with heightened spiritual access.

White ceremonial candle: purity, protection, guidance.

Spirit guides: intermediaries between worlds. 👉 The speaker is intentionally entering a liminal space between life and death.

 “The Toll Keepers”

Likely symbolic figures who guard the passage between worlds (similar to mythological ferrymen like Charon).

They “usher” souls and allow passage. 👉 The speaker is asking permission to cross—or at least be seen across—the boundary.

The plea.

> “to hear my plea, and see me in sight tonight”

The speaker doesn’t demand a physical return.

They ask to be seen, heard, and acknowledged. 👉 This reflects longing, not control.

Spanish invocation.

> “Que algún Dios los bendiga… El Gran Intermedio.”

Translated meaning:

> May some God bless you and call and visit me in my dreams whenever I enter the Great In-Between.

The use of Spanish adds intimacy and emotional weight, possibly cultural or personal.

Dreams are the safe meeting place.

The Great In-Between = limbo, threshold, dream state, afterlife border. 👉 The speaker seeks reunion without breaking cosmic rules.

“So mote it be.”A traditional phrase from ritual magic and ceremonial prayer.

Means “so may it be” or “let it be done.” 👉 This confirms the poem as a formal invocation, not metaphor alone.

The poem expresses grief transformed into ritual. It’s about:

Love that persists beyond death.

Respectful longing for connection.

Accepting separation while still seeking comfort.

Using spirituality, memory, and dreams as bridges.

It is not about resurrection or obsession, but about:

> “Let me meet you where it is allowed.”

Title.

The Call to The Dearly Departed.

(A lone voice whispers)

Tonight at midnight.

With the help of my spirit guides, I light this white ceremonial candle.

And call for the bright light of The Toll Keepers to help usher my beloved, to hear my plea, and see me in sight tonight.

“Que algún Dios los bendiga y me llame y visite en mis sueños cada vez que entro, El Gran Intermedio.”

May some God bless you and call and visit me in my dreams whenever I enter, The Great In-Between.

So mote it be.

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy 

Image shared under fair usage policy.