Out of the depths, a well-intentioned priest
Voices the prayers and canticles. The altar’s
Elements feed the friends of the deceased.
Rest in peace. It says so in the psalters.
Mind how he lauds the lovely afterlife,
Yammering in his huckster’s oversell —
Dutiful daughter, mother, sister, wife,
Explaining how unfit I am for hell.
As if this Earth were not the world to me!
Despite its flaws, it’s home. It’s all I’ve known.
Be slow to cast away my ecstasy
Of fire, air and water, blood and bone.
Death. To dust and ashes I return;
Yet I lie grieving in this gilded urn.