At Nobody’s funeral no guests appeared
No priest came to serve the last rites
No one sent flowers, no one volunteered
To carry the coffin outside
So what’s about funeral, is it a hoax?
It does seem like hallucination
Or one of those flat unintelligent jokes
Some share to get brief attention
If it’s real, I’d like to attend, count me then
I’ll come, if you have the address
We'll bury that ever-recurring old man
Who caused such a terrible mess
He shall be buried as soon as it takes
Just tell me the date, send a scheme
But this time it shouldn’t be any mistakes
I must be assured if its him
Whose soul was as hollow as trunk of a reed
Who had nothing to say but the lies
Fake and evil was pretty much all that he did
What a joy that he finally dies
A solace of freedom and peace comes again
After war people like to feel free
We cannot be judged for the crimes of armed men
Much too busy with love are we
Nobody is dead, breaking news on the top
Swan Lake’s on the TV all day
Four little cygnets are dancing non stop
Odette in the wings drinks champagne.
The earth turned on its axis,
The sun rose for the day,
But the planes, the trains, the taxis?
They chose to stay away.
The roads became much calmer,
The streets were quieter still,
Because amidst this force of beauty,
The world was getting ill.
The flowers still grew their petals,
The trees, they danced away,
The sky was blue, the grass was green,
And we all rose to see the day.
But the days for us looked different,
Something wasn't quiet the same,
No long commutes or morning rush,
And a virus was to blame.
All the parents taught their children,
Kitchen tables turned to desks,
But play times were without their friends,
The rule was clear:no guests!
Because the most important thing here,
Isn't me, myself and I,
And all the people knew this,
And that's the reason why...
Without Swimming
A COVID19 lament by Sara L. Russell
25/9/20 at 14:01
Half a summer gone by; seamless tropical heat,
birds singing, bees pollinating, flowers blooming
and no swimming.
All of the pools closed
for almost four months.
What is a summer without swimming?
"A summer without swimming," she said, is like
a wedding banquet without wine
a main course with no dessert
an empty treasure chest
a lamentable waste of half a year."
In fact, the summer without swimming was like
a grandma never visited by grandchildren
a wedding with no guests
a funeral with no mourners
a church with no congregation
a sick patient dying alone
a nurse dying for her professional calling
a person with S.A.D. depression self-destructing
for lack of swimming
with red eyes brimming
for closure of pools
for closure of beaches
for closure of everything.
Life’s a beach and then you die.
a house with the bottom up
thrown clothes, clutter, books everywhere
manuscripts, invoices
pencils, drawing boards
no guests
no holiday tables
just a shadow of last year
I went out and watched the fireworks
the most beautiful fireworks in my life
they were ordered in writing games
new games
in dazzling dreams
in seamless beauty
when they melted
I felt alone and went home
in the night between the years
a man sat down
he washed the dishes
he was silent
he stayed with me
replacing the remaining kitten in the country
(how gentle to be
how good
to support a woman who has no desire for anything?)
as follows
I put a cart, ABBA, on the Internet
he smiled
and from his phone I heard a blues
fear and truth have taken hold
gently
the heat melted the snow
someone sketches a beginning
with old brushes
Haunted House
No mist, no moon, no creepy room
No broken pane, no wicker broom
No portrait eyes that seem to move
No finger nails scratching a groove
No spider dangling on a strand
No creeping of a severed hand
No butler with an evil stare
No creaking door, no flying chair
No howling from the fireplace
No spectral phantom saying grace
No rusty hinge, no creaking stair
No hatchet sunk in blood soaked hair
No guests, no staff, no passers by
No copper with a gouged out eye
No heroine to be bereft
No one to eat...
...No one left!
Shoulda read the fine print; my bad!
I’d still have my dog if I had,
but “no pets” the contract had said.
The dog’s with my ex now instead.
At least for the pool I was glad.
Shoulda read the fine print; my bad!
No guests?! After bragging to friends?!
My big dream of pool parties ends.
I’m off campus, yet MY rules too
are for students of BYU.
Shoulda read the fine print; my bad!
Now there goes my bachelor pad!
No women, no gambling, no booze.
There’s “L” on my forehead. I lose.
Happy Valley? I call this sad!
Shoulda read the fine print. My bad!
Feb 7, 2018
For the 'shoulda read the fine print - 2' Poetry Contest of John Lawless
(just imagining a guy stumbling into the city of Provo unaware of BYU standards and somehow signing a contract to live with off-campus students!)
He was a dark skinned man
I couldn't tell his age
He had a baby face
But he also had a childlike heart
He was thin, very thin, mostly bone
His skeleton like figure scared many
He never scared me
I visited him a lot
I loved listening to his stories and dreams
Whenever I had no guests around, I was always in his room
He had his own private room
Whereas in my ward we had atleast ten females
I never saw anyone visiting him
I don't think he had family and friends
He loved to laugh
I wondered what brought him there
We had big plans of opening the best restaurant in town
At seventeen I knew I had a passion for food
I loved to cook and entertain
Besides my bedroom, kitchen was my next favourite room
We talked of our passions and made big plans
I left, I can't remember if I said my goodbyes or not
Its been such a long time
But I remember and treasure our moments
He never left his room, he never even left his bed
But his dreams took him places many wishes to see
I left, he never did
But the dream he put in me still lives on
i'll shove heart wide open [no ties!],
mop away uneasiness, doubt,
will breathe in truth instead of lies,
joy instead of greed breathe out loud.
soul'd turn into a spacious house
with no ceiling, walls, floors to mop,
no protection against burglars -
it's open, with no doors or locks.
lamp's like in temple so needy
a lighthouse for those in the dark,
they - with their kindness too greedy -
like us once would pass this benchmark .
i'd want my heart to fit inside
universe of unearthly round
dance of eternal souls and try
widening sky dome with low sound.
in immense home with no guests [word!]
uninvited, noone's here in vain,
not on good people rests the world
but on those happy in the rain.
let birds, ghosts, planets and people
spin round in such beautiful dance -
you've come to enjoy life's sequel,
smile! to be free there's one chance.
it's important for heart to grace
through melancholy and dark spite,
behind contempt and lack of faith
a spark in everyone of light,
for an eye in chest to unwind
with not a blink bravely to lead
and with its deep look - no more blind! -
to heal, foster, save and to heat.
We leave our
jackets around the chairs
in spite of the
formalility of the setting.
Well, the outsiders are,
as usual, absent.
There are no guests to
make the rooms into a
tasteful memory.
I know her jacket
and she knows mine. She
sometimes scolds me
but I take it with good grace.
I know she is not
mother.
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