Requiem

Today could be your burial
Rain pounds the ground like too many unshed tears
Umbrella up, narrowly protecting me as I stand
Still drenched as heaven wails
My high heals sink into the deeply dampened ground
Now your home
And I never knew you
I never heard your story

Today could be your funeral
The pastor’s face sags as though he knew, loved, and lost you
Boredom like a wall barely protects my hardened heart
Still broken as heaven mourns
My hands artificially raise, pointing beyond vaulted ceilings to heaven
Now your home
And I never knew you
I never heard your story

And you were
And I wish I was
And we’re all supposed to be
More and more
Human

I heard of your death like everyone’s
On cheap newsprint
Their pictures
Their stories
Their grieving families
And charities in lieu of flowers

No picture
No story
No grieving family
Just a number: one in 29,000
And a charity anesthetic for the pain

And you are
And I wish I was
And we’re all supposed to be

Supposed to...

But you left
And I wish I could
And we all tend to be
Less and less
Human