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.