Public Expressions of Private Pain
Sleep comes when it comes
And sometimes it doesn't come
No matter how tired you are
On a night that chills the bones
She lays uncovered
So I pull up the sheets and get a blanket
She stretches out and relaxes
Ready to be warm
Have you looked into the eyes
Of a dead person?
Not like the movies or tv
They had life, and now they don't
The eyes, it is said, are the windows of the soul
And when the body stops pulsing
The soul has left
Eyes that wouldn't shut in life
Closed forever in death
A mouth that remained slightly ajar
Now pulled shut, lips together
I put my hand on her chest
As she lay in the coffin
What did I feel?
The skin did not gain color
The chest did not move
My desire wavered
No, not my desire
She was never cold for the last month
That I looked on her with my eyes
And saw the beatiful soul living
In the bloated shell
It was a warm summer night
And she no longer needs
To be warmed up
Have you ever looked in a dead person's eyes?
copyright (C) 2012 christopher w neal all rights reserved
