Have you ever had to go to a funeral for a person you did not know well? This past Saturday, the first words I heard from downstairs were "Aunt Marge died?"

So now it's off to a funeral for my mother's Aunt Marge. I am sure my mother is upset, but for me, the funeral was just a hassle. Last year, my father's uncle died and I felt the same way. I am upset for my mother, as I was for my father, because I know she is in pain.

When my father's uncle died last year, I missed two days of school. When I came back to school, my English teacher gave me a chance to reflect on what had happened. I was asked to react to the poem "Out, Out, Out" by Robert Frost. The poem is about a boy who is killed in a chainsaw accident. At the end of the poem, the boy dies in a hospital and all the doctors and nurses turn around and continue with their daily routines.

"No more to build on there. And they, since they

Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs."

That was like me. After the funeral for Uncle Louis, I turned and went on with life. What I wondered about the poem was what happened to the parents and sister of the boy who just died? That reminded me of my father and his feelings.

My teacher chose a few students to read our papers out loud. When I read my paper which ended "The poem AOut, Out, Out' by Robert Frost reminds me of my father's pain," I felt, for the first time, an empty feeling in my heart.

I do not know where I will be when I miss Aunt Marge, but if I had to guess, I would say that it will be when I meet someone who reminds me of her. That will be tough because I only remember four things about her. First, she loved cats, which I can see that reflected in my mother. The second that I remember is from the last time I visited her, more than a year ago. She wanted to get us something to drink and so she said, "Would you like some apple cider, milk or water? You can help yourself; chose your poison." My brother, sister and I found that hilarious. The third thing I remember is that she had all sorts of interesting stuff in her apartment, including two books that she had bought at a garage sale for a dollar, only to discover Ulysses S. Grant's signature in them. And the fourth thing I remember about her is that she was found outside a few weeks ago looking for her sons. She thought it was 1950. c