The Funeral | Teen Ink

The Funeral MAG

August 30, 2009
By Beatrice Garrard BRONZE, Edmonds, Washington
Beatrice Garrard BRONZE, Edmonds, Washington
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Champagne and chocolate cake, he said,
the dead man.
They listened
of course they did. But they know Death
and he is not
champagne and chocolate.

Try as you like,
funerals
are all the same.

Celebrate, he said,
the dead man.
But still
they have dressed themselves in black.

All, that is, but the little boy.
Grandson, perhaps?
He has lost mother
wandering
knee-high
among suit-clad giants.
His shirt is baby blue and
still wide-eyed for the touch of life
he laughs at their shiny black shoes, click-clicking on the church-stone floor.

He is a blue jay
in a flock
of crows.

No more grandpa. He doesn't understand.

“Do you remember him?” they'll ask, years from now, dead concern still lingering in their eyes.

“No.
Not really.” Pause.
“I was still
a blue jay then.”


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This article has 8 comments.


on Apr. 25 2012 at 3:00 pm
Wilson1994 GOLD, Holywood, Other
10 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
'Nothing lasts forever. Forever's a lie. All we have is what's between hello and goodbye.' Unknown

More than beautiful, an experience of death as a child could not be more true than through this poem. You have a great talent, hope to see more work like this!

on Apr. 25 2012 at 2:59 pm
Wilson1994 GOLD, Holywood, Other
10 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
'Nothing lasts forever. Forever's a lie. All we have is what's between hello and goodbye.' Unknown

This is more than beautiful, we have all experienced death and my experience as a child of losing family was exactly like this. You have a great talent.

on Jan. 1 2011 at 11:07 pm
emilllydubinn SILVER, Marlboro, New Jersey
9 articles 2 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
photograpy is about stopping the world in its tracks, but poetry is about capturing the world in motion.

this is very touching and written with a personal sense of the character

on Oct. 17 2010 at 8:41 pm
bluegirl440 DIAMOND, Park City, Utah
84 articles 0 photos 48 comments

Favorite Quote:
Everybody lies. -House

Wow this is absolutly beautiful.....

on Oct. 17 2010 at 6:14 pm
CammyLashay SILVER, Java, Virginia
9 articles 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
Failure is not for me.

True work at mind

on Oct. 17 2010 at 5:10 pm
yomaster BRONZE, Portland, Oregon
1 article 0 photos 8 comments
Wow!!! SO beautiful and true!

kysh15 said...
on Jun. 23 2010 at 7:31 pm
kysh15, Edmonds, Washington
0 articles 0 photos 57 comments
I like this poem

on Jan. 2 2010 at 9:24 am
IsobelFree DIAMOND, Hamilton, Other
71 articles 20 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
"As long as there is open road, the familiar has the most formidable competitor." - Anonymous

Wow, this is great. I loved the imagery, especially the part about the little boy. It's touching but sad. Great work! :)