"Two wrongs may not make a right but a thousand wrongs make a writer.”

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

The Wake

Someone poured a stein for the deceased
and set it on the mantle.
It had warmed but wasn’t flat.
The sun danced off the lake
which should have been ice-covered
but was as bare as the hands
wrapped in a rosary.
Let them wonder that you walked
amongst their grieving
and finished your final beer unfettered.


 For Brendan at Earthweal, poetry for a changing world.

10 comments:

Thotpurge said...

That is a great write.. what will the last of us think about in the end?

Anthony Duce said...

Wonderful. Envious of the depth of images, the story, created by these few words.

Yvonne Osborne said...

Thotpurge,
Thank you. That question has no answer, though we could make some educated guesses.

Anthony,
I'm envious of the images you create!
Thanks!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Those closing lines have such impact. Wonderful work.

Susan said...

Just mysterious and spiritual enough to be Jesus or the speaker, or a ghost or Elijah . . . Good!

hedgewitch said...

They say the ritual of wake/funeral is more for the living,but here you bring it back to its rightful owner. I love the sparing feel of this, where every word counts, and speaks to a soul whose state of rest is as yet undetermined.

Sumana Roy said...

"...was as bare as the hands
wrapped in a rosary." The image so perfectly fits in the mourning scenes.

Mary said...

This is so very well written & so deep. One to savor.

brudberg said...

I do love the thought that we should mourn the dead, but in the end, it would make me constantly drunk.

Yvonne Osborne said...

Oh, Brudberg, you just made me laugh out loud! And I admit, it was I who drank the dead man's beer.