Tuesday, 24 December 2013

Time for another poem


To my son

 

 

When I die
Don’t bury me beneath a mound of earth
Unless
You also plant strawberries on me.

 

When I die
Don’t burn me to ashes
Unless
You take me out on the deep ocean and
Scatter me to the winds and the swell.

 

When I die
Don’t cool the sausage rolls
With hymns
Unless you have composed the music yourself
And play it on your own trumpet
Loud enough to wake me.

 

When I die
Don’t say a lot of exaggerated platitudes
About the man I was,
Just read a couple of my best poems
To show how much I loved your mother.

 

When I die
Pause in your stride
And then go on being the man you are,
Show me your best photos
And email when you need me.

No comments:

Post a Comment