POEM

Dead and buried, I sleep in peace

Undisturbed and satisfied,

For death at last earned me friends

All ostensibly sad and red eyed.

Friends I never knew in life

Friendship that never was,

Emerge sorrowful and moved as

Heavy words float after each pause.

A pause to construct a lie

Apause to ornate the requiem,

Strangers talk of my truth and love

Acquaintances of my manners trim.

I lie fifteen feet below

Loaded with mud and flowers,

My tombstone proclaims my character

Glorifying all my living hours.

While the sun shrivels the flowers

The time blurs the tombstone,

No candle burns at my grave

And there is no one who mourns.