Holocaust
A poem
Lay me down in a bed of satin
Adorned with velvet trim and billowy crepe
What it lacks in cushion I’ll eschew in repose
Pry my hand from the wheel I held firm
Find my eyes, burned from my skull
And seared with my final sight
Pray, find comfort for those children
I left orphaned
Whose families are scattered across the highway
Sigh when you think of me
Remember only my best moments
Reduce your memories, without the bottle at my feet
Stay at my side a moment and weep
Place flowers at my site
Give salt and water for the wicked
Try to recognize this face, through the coffin lid
Though I may be hard to mourn
Let me pass in peace
This piece is uncomfortable in its clarity.
To me, it seems like a drunk driver who passed that doesn't sound regretful at all. He tries to say the empathetic phrases of regret talking about the children he orphaned, but the tone throughout the poem does not reflect that at all. It seems more resigned if anything.
Digging deeper, that might be the reason why he was drinking in the first place. It almost makes you sympathetic for his mental health, though you quickly remember the crime he commited.
This piece is beautiful in its complexity. Love it.
"Give salt and water for the wicked"
I just love how you phrased that.