OFF ON A TANGENT

 

Urn came today

Mine

Biodegradable

Nothing wrong with me

Far as I know

Though

Thought it would be good

To pay in advance

For the someday trek

It’s nice

The urn

Made me think

Except for the house

I lived in

Ages fifteen to seventeen

Never really had

A nice home

Lived in places with

Leaky roofs

Unfixable bathroom pipes

And unattached floorboards

Reluctantly providing an expressway

To the next-door swamp

For indigenous critters

So this biodegradable housing

For my pre-scattered ashes

Into the swamp, of course,

Is an upgrade in my life

Nah, don’t feel sad for me

And PLEASE don’t feel contempt either

Life’s a series of tradeoffs

And the important way to navigate

Is via a sense of humor

I tried

Hmmm, if I was being buried

My tombstone would say

She tried

So maybe I’ll live another twenty years

Or not

But under my computer desk is a box

Waiting for my imminent trip to

The mysterious crossroads

Maybe led by a psychopomp bird

Or ferrying across the River Styx

But I’m always up for a road trip

So I’ll good-naturedly go…

 

© 2024 Clarissa Simmens (ViataMaja)

IMAGE: Flamingo Garden January 2024