NEARLY DEPARTED
Last night we finished packing
and dispersing our belongings tofamily
My hands are chapped
fingertips raw + tender from moving
All of our worldly belongings stored
I am promising myself not to unpack —
not for many years
I also picked up the cremation boxes of
our departed animal family
and stored their remains at my nephew’s house
He kept joking that our bags felt heavy
like filled with dead bodies
as we dragged them into his basement
Then I showed him the boxes of ash
and he burst out laughing
We had a wonderful last dinner —
With our family surrounding us
I sat and listened to their entertaining
banter + laughter + sarcasm
and suddenly became peaceful knowing
I would be parting in the morning
Heading for a new life
that has no past or future
After we boarded the airplane
stuffed our backpacks into the overhead
and settled into our Exit row seats
He opened the SkyMall magazine
full of kitsch for sale
and found a black box to purchase
that says when opened
Looking good Bob
You sure are sexy Bob
You’re the man Bob
a personalized BOB ice tray
and a t-shirt that says
Ofcourse I’m right
I’M BOB
I grabbed his arm and said
“What if we really are in the Matrix
and you open a magazine & see this…”
And he replied
“Ahhh!”
By KM Sharp