Elegy
Fingers bent in brackets -
Shield the candle’s flame.
It is bending backwards
Closer to the frame,
Liquefied and molten,
Now, - just smoke and air…
Once, I used to hold it -
Now, it isn’t there.
Once, he used to hold me, -
Now, I stand and stare -
From the heavy coffin,
- lighter than the air,
His soul, detached, will rise
In an upward curve.
His massive body lies
Six feet in the earth
In full depth and breadth,
Heavier than a sigh.
Lighter than a breath,
- one foot in the sky…