after the fact / they will position / our limbs heads and feet
so they are pointing north-south / east-west / west-east
as if to greet the dawn / or watch the setting sun / or shun
forever the light / thrown from this world / as if we were
wise ciphers / they will bury us / in rich cloths and masks
place objects of great / or common worth / within or beyond
the grasp of our lustless bone / -jangled hands / they will
touch / the soft distal points of our bodies / tenderly or
with coldness / perhaps they will seal in / some warmth
a prayer or small song / before turning one last time
to go / i don’t know / where we hope to travel / who we
should meet there / far under the hill / all dressed up so fine
in the dark / or naked with our skulls / broken or unbroken
bellies emptied or full / child or old / but in any case blessed
and cursed harder / than any moment / we might have
remembered / when we still lived on this earth.

Read the rest of Overland 242

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