Death, despite being proud, inspires a good verse

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Because I'm deeply strange, I sometimes collect things that I think would make excellent eulogy components. Like, stuff to quote on the occasion of the death of a loved one. I suspect this has something to do with the little Puritan preacher living inside my brain. You know, the guy who sees Jesus everywhere and wants to make everything a sermon. That guy. For instance, Hayden's Those Winter Sundays? Tragic magic.


So, I'm adding a new one to my list. I came across it in a compilation of Kay Ryan's work. Check it out:

THINGS SHOULDN'T BE SO HARD

A life should leave
deep tracks:
ruts where she
went out and back
to get the mail
or move the hose
around the yard;
where she used to
stand before the sink,
a worn-out place;
beneath her hand
the china knobs
rubbed down to
white pastilles;
the switch she
used to feel for
in the dark
almost erased.
Her things should
keep her marks.
The passage
of a life should show;
it should abrade.
And when life stops,
a certain space—
however small —
should be left scarred
by the grand and
damaging parade.
Things shouldn't
be so hard.

3 comments:

Hunts said...

With a sister my age, you should be ready at any moment to step in and use your fine collection. I really liked the poem. You always find such good ones.

emm said...

aw, i love this.

also... can i just point to "Tragic Magic"?!
um... i think this is ever better than nasty good (what is your version again???)

alea said...

Son: Whatever. You're not decaying yet. :)

em tasty gross! (there's also "sexy ugly" from Kissing Jessica Stein). I love terms like this.

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