"Lanterns" by James Bohen

When bodies —

standing by walls,

strolling in streets,

stooping on the

weight of stairs —

are vaporized in an instant,

do final thoughts escape?

Do they have time to float

on winds or whisper

a forget-me-not

in someone's ear?

Perhaps they take

their final ride

in lanterns, softly lit,

in lanterns, floating off,

in lanterns, bobbing

quietly on waters

drifting somewhere

gone and true . . .

away from life

and out of time,

away from

any vision,

away from

any view.