Past Death
written by: Stephen Kingsnorth
I did not know her, here laid out,
a careful combing of the hair
not as I’d known it set before –
forehead laid bare, cleared silver strands;
not of my choosing, frame beside.
But father told he wanted this,
a final farewell to his wife,
though he knew, as did I, full-well,
she long had left; this trolley bare,
enforced that spirit flown the room.
By absence seeping beads drawn down –
the knowledge that we paused alone,
skeletal cage deserted now.
And since, the question posed myself –
should I dissuade through queries raised?
Poor memory’s now fixed in place –
this mask should not replace her face;
some say dread visit reinforced,
that shock fires mould of empty clay –
unnecessary proof for me.
For him, for his, I dare not say;
the sixty years entitle him
to linger, lose, yet loose again
the bond and knots that tied them close.
And sons accompany past death.
- Past Death - March 19, 2025
- Composed - December 26, 2024
- Coming Arrival - December 8, 2024
