The Funeral
by
Phil Vas
Crystal crashes my burial
to sing the epitaph of ants
(her teeth click empty halls of laughter)
And on my tombstone a line from Verlaine:
"the fragrance of regret"
Where were you when the jade mantis
gouged the pimp's tinted eyes?
In a bottle on a date swimming in a mirror?
Where were you in that bloody bedlam
—drooling puddles on the train?
Did you know I stuffed bible pages
in my shirt to fight the bitter cold?
We are indebted to each other you and I
Brazen skies a kestrel overhead
as worms delight my ribcage
and trees recoil every time
Crystal cries my name
This poem first appeared in Death Wish Poetry: https://deathwishpoetry.com/2025/05/25/the-funeral/
