BODIES IN MOURNING

BODIES IN MOURNING
Ute Carson

In the waiting room of the dying
bodies clad in sadness
make last statements
as time runs out
like sand in an hourglass.

They sit on chairs facing each other
sewing shrouds,
thread whispering through cloth,
weaving light and dark hues into the fabric
for lives lived or unclaimed.

Anemic blood, capillaried skin,
dry vaginas, drooping penises,   
drum-bellied guts and failing hearts,
angrily trying to muffle the voice of death.
All the while, earthbound flesh longs for weightlessness.

Other bodies wean themselves slowly from life,
revisit bygone places, reconnect with long-lost loves,
and relive past pleasures.
Tremors of yearning still pulse through veins worn thin
and unquenched desire burns on in old eyes,
until a gentle breeze snuffs out the last labored breaths
and sends parting puffs of gratefulness into the smoky air.    

©2012 This work is the property of the author.