Thus begins the flood of references to Italo Calvino, in this case 'Invisible Cities'. I won't start with excerpts from the inevitable Cities & the Dead, but instead one of the Hidden Cities - Raissa, as it provides a frame of reference for a frame of mind that is rather poetic, and keeps this project from being too gloomy.
"...in Raissa, city of sadness, there runs an invisible thread that binds one living being to another for a moment, then unravels, then is stretched again between moving points as it draws new and rapid patterns so that every second the unhappy city contains a happy city unaware of its own existence." pp149 Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino (VINTAGE CLASSICS)
In grieving for one passed away we dwell invariably on loss - loss of life, of new experiences, of fading memories. If however those in mourning come together and share their memories, it is as if the dead gains new life. Each additional perspective or experience of that life adds shape and weight to the continued existence of the one passed away. Where once there was loss there is now continuation, and that must be a joyful thing.
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