Poems

Dream Endings

Horses stand and plume the air with breath.
They bow and dip their heads.
Feathers are fitted to their foreheads.
They are well feathered now!
They stamp and sweat.
And someone is getting a right send-off.
Someone is getting the feathers.
See that glass carriage. O Cinderella!
O dream world of happy endings!
Look. A leaf is floating like a feather.
Look at the usher’s kind face.
He is dressed in tails.
He pats a horse.
Flicks from his cuff
a tiny feather. O Methuselah!
He mounts the rig.
Watch the children watching, open-mouthed.
Watch the horses shake their dressy heads.
They are ready to go now.
They are ready and willing.
The carriage is turning. O Hallelujah!
Watch red and yellow leaves floating in the air.
Watch the glass carriage disappear.
There is nobody in it.
There is nobody there.
See the blackbird fluffing his feathers.
See the boy kick a ball down the street.
It is starting to rain. They will get wet.
Xiptotlec!
There will be pall-bearers.
There will be a family, lipsticked and brave.
The carriage will open and shut.
Then they’ll be off.
Recently Deceased One!
May your ceremony be simple, sincere.
Rain fills the puddles that edge your grave.
O Tinkerbell! Lao Tzu! Narnia!