“I can’t, I can’t!” screams the 30 year old mother of two with trembling body and clouded mind. Her grandmother, once familiar, now foreign. Hands cold, lips shut. Eyes closed with glue. A body that once embodied love now fear. Once comfort, now pain. Her parents urge her again . . . “I don’t want […]
I write this as I’m listening to a mother frantically scream, “That’s my baby!!!” as she views the body of her deceased 24 year old son for the first time since his death. She’s kicking screaming stomping weeping. I write this as my own therapy … it’s hard to listen to. It must be harder […]
We’ve screwed up. Committed sacrilege. Tri- State crematory. 334 uncremated bodies left to the elements and the animals making us look like monsters. Two mummified babies found in the ceiling tiles of a funeral home. Jessica Mitford. The FTC. The Funeral Rule. The price gouging. The emotional exploitation. “I’m sorry” isn’t enough. Even we can’t bury these dead […]
This is it. The casket lid begins to quietly close Your insides open and yell. Your memories are now all you have. There will be nothing new. Your last look, your last touch The beginning of your tears. This is it. Beliefs attempt to comfort You cling to thoughts of a future hope You will […]
Tears in the produce aisle of Wal-Mart. Hugs at the gas station. An affectionate gaze at the pizza shop. Created by death. To you, I’m all the depth without any superficial. The person who helped you walk through the shadow. The person who stood with you as you said your last goodbye. As the lid […]