Funeral Haiku

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Funeral Haiku

There

After

Distracted, dad spills
step-son’s ash into ex-wife’s
grave . . . missing my palms

Black 'n blue clothes my
ceiling, sealing eyes airtight . . .
no more dreams of Spring

Coarse . . . gray . . . dense . . . gravel
Joey’s ash sift fast . . . faster
so unlike his death

Aloft on loft bed . . .
premature ceiling shuts close
enclosed disclosures

I mix Joey’s ash
into mom's disinterred dirt
returning us both

Loft bed's writhing-hot
crawl-space, dreams me dreams graver
than mom’s box six deep

Bleeding my hands, my
fingers—my brother's remains
remain: cold gloving

Face-down dreams me mom’s
last breath kissing back, this time
no formaldehyde

AIDS to ash . . . even
mom's headstone won’t admit her
Joey’s thereunder

Curled fetal over
mom's grave, I dreamt tall and proud
to carry her home.

--- Chris Custer

There	After

Distracted, dad spills step-son’s ash into ex-wife’s grave . . . missing my palms	Black 'n blue clothes my ceiling, sealing eyes airtight . . . no more dreams of Spring



Coarse . . . gray . . . dense . . . gravel Joey’s ash sift fast . . . faster so unlike his death	Aloft on loft bed . . . premature ceiling shuts close enclosed disclosures



I mix Joey’s ash into mom's disinterred dirt returning us both	Loft bed's writhing-hot crawl-space, dreams me dreams graver than mom’s box six deep



Bleeding my hands, my fingers—my brother's remains remain: cold gloving	Face-down dreams me mom’s last breath kissing back, this time no formaldehyde



AIDS to ash . . . even mom's headstone won’t admit her Joey’s thereunder	Curled fetal over mom's grave, I dreamt tall and proud to carry her home.