Here lies another box for nature,
Carbon ready;
Black to eyes down here,
Where death is at its job.
Up there you’ll hear a rhythmic sob
Or two from living yet-to-dies –
A humming lacrimoso –
It all but cleans the eyes:
Forget it –
The dismal show of grief –
Life is only chemistry –
Our stay is only brief.
It’s we who hype it up!
Diaphragms jerk again;
The jet monotone of hearses
Feeds the disingenuousness
Of undertakers –
They seem to stare at something up ahead –
For them, it’s in the blood,
To taxi off the dead.
Copyright © Mark R Slaughter 2011
it's easy to create the feel of love, but the maintaining of love is life time task.
ReplyDeleteWe certainly hype it up.
ReplyDeleteA bit morbid when it comes to death and all its related takes. Nicely Catie!
ReplyDeleteHank
Hank
This poem has such a powerful ending, it makes one re-read it to better grasp the substance. Really strong writing!
ReplyDeleteLife is really only chemistry, and our stay here is filled with attempts to make it worthwhile...we should just sit back and relax, enjoy the journey, but it is hard thinking of the afterlife how it might turn out...I think this is a nice poem! :)
ReplyDeletethanks for above commenting poets.
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday.
ha. nice title...
ReplyDeletelife is...chemistry...what mizes, what doesnt what experiments work...and you are right love takes work, maintenance...we can t relax into it an dexpect it to always stay if we dont invest in it....
Really a wonderfully tight write--I so enjoyed this piece!
ReplyDeleteour brief sojourn here could be more rewarding if we feel what a precious gift life is....nice thoughts...
ReplyDelete