In Europe
they pile them
one on top of another
generations deep
In India
they parade them
through the streets
then burn them up
and sweep the ashes
into the river
In Louisiana
the marching band
makes a joyful noise
to let St Peter know
someone's on the way
In Tibet
it's a sky burial
and the vultures
get the good parts
In old time pueblo New Mexico
they'd stuff you in a pot
and throw you out
with the trash
At Lakeview Cemetery in Seattle
twenty plumbers are buried
in a common plot -
a benny
Sad little tombs
for the unbaptized
while Popes rot in splendor
under the basillica's dome
Lenin in Red Square
Bonaparte in Paris
Arafat beneath the rubble
Mausoleums for the rich
Potter's Fields for the poor
Cryogenics for the unconvinced
Rocket ships for the wacky few
All dead, all gone, amen.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
