Appalachian Burial

by Brenda   Mar 13, 2016


They laid her out
bathed in pink lights
wearing a dress
she wouldn't be
caught dead in,
oh, the irony of it all.
Make-up applied
with too heavy
a hand
trying to disguise
the fact
her liver gave out
way before
her body was ready...
Not the undertakers
most shining moment.
We drove down
to the mountains
to pay our respects
outsiders to our kin
"big city folk"
foreign sounding with strange ways
I asked if she'd
be buried
amongst her kin
high a top
of the mountain-
"No, they said,
she had won a plot for two
from the local radio station
at the new cemetery
on the outskirts of town.."
No, I'm not making this up....
Only down there
would this be an option.
So we trudged
to her new resting place.
Just like the rest of the area,
hilly, billy- goat style.
Precariously in shoes
not meant for off-roading
using others dearly deceased
headstones
as stepping stones
silently praying for forgiveness
for such blatant
disregard
for their dead...
We got together afterwards
to eat and talk
gossiping about
the black sheep
that every family
seems to have...
Nothing seems to change
in their neck
of the world,
the pace is slow,
the air thick with
humidity and simplicity
quiet beauty
to an outsider
such as myself...

14


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Latest Comments

  • 6 years ago

    by Kitty Cat Lady

    I really loved the honesty of this! I have a clear picture in my mind even though I've never experienced anything like that! Lovely piece :-)
    =^.^=

    • 6 years ago

      by Brenda

      Thank you so much! It was an interesting experience to say the least.

  • 6 years ago

    by Sushmita Mitra Chetri

    Well written.....

    • 6 years ago

      by Brenda

      Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking the time to read this-

  • 7 years ago

    by ddavidd

    Fairly long piece but you do not know how easy it reads, and get disappointed when it ends. Lovely flow and great grip on language.

    • 7 years ago

      by Brenda

      Frank, thank you so much! I really appreciate your comments . True Story by the way.

  • 7 years ago

    by Dean Kuch

    Living in southeastern Ohio as I do, very near the West Virginia and Kentucky borders, I was able to grasp the full impact this piece was composed to create, Brenda.
    There is a lot to be said about small town country life. But, it also has its drawbacks, just like anywhere else.
    Wonderfully expressive.
    Excellent...
    ~Dean Kuch

    • 7 years ago

      by Brenda

      Thank you so much! I too grew up in a small town in northern Michigan. Up north, down south they are pretty similar. I totally agree with it's pluses and drawbacks. I'm really glad you liked it-take care-Brenda

  • 7 years ago

    by keithnwv

    Enjoyed your poem. Have taken part in a few that mirror the image you painted in my mind.

    • 7 years ago

      by Brenda

      Thank you so much-your kind words mean a lot.

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