Poetry

eulogy

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today
To mourn a girl who caused her own decay.

She curled up with her head by her feet,
Folded like a moth-eaten sheet.

Her demise, which came as no surprise,
was slow and painful to arise.

She had sought the serpent yet again,
Mistaking its venom for medicine,
Just as she’d done a thousand times,
under the watch of a thousand eyes.

A thousand hands had laid in her lap,
None of them was she able to grasp.

Dearly Beloved, although you all tried,
None could save this maiden’s life.

It’s not possible, don’t you see,
To destroy another’s enemy.

Especially one that’s invisible,
Cunning, baffling, and powerful.

Dearly Beloved, as we gather here,
Pray for those condemned by fear.

Pray for God always to be sought,
When one hears the Devil’s thoughts.

Pray to see, to feel, to hear,
Now let’s go and have a beer.

It came ‘round so suddenly,
Not the least bit subtly,

Darkness slid over the sky,
Drenched in shadow, only I.

Lost, I passed a clear window,
Inside sat a girl I know,

But how I had known of her
Oh, not I could remember.

First her face was blank as gray,
Then a scowl grew right away.

It then took me by surprise
How the scowl had reached her eyes.

Devil-girl, I thought she was,
So I grabbed a rock and tossed,

The glass broke with a black scream,
Shards spilling over the beam.

At the sound a man approached,
With concern but no reproach.

He asked, “Are you all right, dear?
For why did you break that mirror?”