black wednesday

there's a crow perched
on top of a cement mold cross
and everyone is black
in garments
and spirits
but there's a man smoking a cigarette
and he laughs
at a joke
made during the eulogy

the crow's feathers
are black
and the cars they drive
are black
and the mourning audience's eyes
are black
but the box carrying
the father
the brother
the son
the husband
the friend
is white.

he is a painted stripe on a canvas,
and for those familiar with the terms,
the environment offers only value,
not color.

there are tears in the eyes
of the man smoking
leaning against the shaped gray stone
tears of happiness and hilarity
and disbelief

but i guess different people take events differently...

the carriage with a father's son
is black
and the lungs of he who cackles
are black
and the souvenir coffee mugs at the funeral home
are black
but the box carrying
the frustrated employee
the twice divorced adulterer
the child support dodger
the whore fucker
the gunshot victim (self-inflicted)
is white.

and it is lowered to rest
the man smoking quiets down
the people forgive and forget
and forget he existed
there are tears for a few minutes
respectful silence
and then they all hug and the shovels are
brought out to bury a man who
wanted to be cremated

the crow takes a queue and flies on
to inject gloom into another situation
and the police escorts
allow the black army ant line of limos and luxury sedans
to drive slowly off to the forgotten man's house
where friends and family
sit and discuss work
and eat snacks
until they get bored and bloated and drunk
and drive home
until the next black wednesday
is their own.