Tears of unfathomed despair

Muffled anguish filling the air

And bouts of laughter, odd but true

Make unexpected cameos in the audial milieu

Sadness and joy, close cousins, odd couple

Humanely united inside this human grief bubble

Heart-picked prayers and memories to relate

By family and friends, perhaps a brave soulmate

Pastors and eulogizers framed by deferential bouquets

A makeshift floral encampment diffusing divine rays

Every color, every stem, every petal and scent

From loved ones near and far, all thoughtfully sent

Then time marches on, as mourners recess

From sanctuary to cemetery for earth’s eternal rest

More flowers distributed, one-by-one laid in place

A tearful procession passed that vessel of God’s grace

Life’s endless circle, crowds come and crowds go

In the corner of the frame, a waiting backhoe

Solemn walks back to cars, locked arm-in-arm

Each goodbye hug a beat longer in this epitaph farm

Eventually home by yourself, the script has run out

Perhaps now it’s time to rage and to shout

They’re gone and they’re gone, alone now to grieve

Surrounded by only those arrangements and wreaths

Day in and day out, they wither and die

One-by-one reminders of the ultimate by and by

That’s when it hurts most, not shock but reality

Will you ever again smile, feel upbeat or sense levity?

Yes, what happens next, stringing long days and lost hours

Whatever will you do . . . after the flowers?