Afterwards

You hear the weeping.    The avoiding – as if a leper
Comments about estates, accounts, policies. But
silence on what happens – the actual process

They will not tell you   But you will learn
soon enough:
You are able to hear your own post-mortem

Time to you now is unknown   As is
space and distance.   You will hear what is said:
at the funeral home
at the church
at the cemetery
You will hear for years when folks
visit or stay home and talk about you
When they stay home and don’t talk about you
When they stay away and don’t remember you
When grandchildren ask questions or don’t
When wives talk or complain about your
sins.
When ex-wives blame or deflect your sins as
an excuse for their embedded anger
When someone approaches your grave and
walks by
when another pauses and cries as memories overwhelm