| In Grandma's House
ghosts of dumplings, ghosts
of chickens, ghosts of the herd
whose fat she cooked with,
ghost of a lost groom, ghost
of a stillborn, ghost of my uncle
Edward's lopped thumb,
ghost of a third cousin straining
on the toilet, ghost of my uncle
at the mirror with the pistol,
ghost of a tin ear, ghost
of knick-knacks, ghost
of my uncle putting the gun back,
ghost of a tumor, ghost
of cigarettes, ghost
of the spittoon
gulping your last wish
Call Before You Dig
You might unearth the earth
The widow's bones, the poodle's toys,
The love letter unrehearsed
Call before you dig
Aunt Edna's heart housed a valve
That once beat in a pig
And the valve in her heart drummed her fingers to dance
Call before you dig
Aunt Edna's box was cloisonn�
A one-legged dancer jigged
When you opened the lid where she lay
Call before you dig
A brisk pirouette, a shuffle ball change,
Her eye-teeth clenching roses
Aunt Edna twirled 'til she spun away
Call before you dig
You might unearth the earth
The widow's bones, the poodle's toys
The love letter unrehearsed |
