Patrick Theron Erickson’s most recent poem to appear here was “All That Glitters” (May 2018).
Corpses
By Patrick Theron Erickson
Flowers
are for stiffs
and for stuff shirts
who stiff others
who have lapels
to fill
Flowers fill the bill
When the ground
opens beneath them
it’s the undertaker
who meets them
halfway
close-fisted
for whom
unlike his closed-mouth clients
it’s an open and shut affair
as long as it’s closed-casket
and there’s no wake
and no wake up call.