The Poet’s Coffin
By Mary Ellen Talley
let the grief-stricken
peruse library shelves to select one memento mori – gather
to toast the poet
in simile
and extended metaphor – gather
and layer remaining books on carpet
in tightly woven frame during
dusk to dawn wake – gather
first edition hardbacks
with biodegradable glue to form
a cadaver-sized container – gather
paperbacks full of penciled marginalia
to cushion
the eternal inside – gather
then discard all tucked away files
filled with first drafts or letters
of rejection – gather
and slant layers of loose poems
in the poet’s favorite font before inserting
the long body – gather
papyrus fibers to shroud
surround poet’s face and hands with bundles
of fresh lilacs – gather
the poet’s own letters of acceptance
scroll and tie with ribbon to tuck
as if a crown of juxtaposed syllables – gather
penny nails to tap the semantic casket
gently shut while lightly scented mourners chiding
end-stopped lives continue to – gather