Monday, March 11, 2024

Death Doula Villanelle

He coughs up blood like Kerouac.
She won't phone up her vegan Republican quack.
The caul is over us now.

Appetite has slowed to a bite
Though whisky still flows, potatoes kept from the light.
The caul will fall too soon.

Photos are gathered for post-it note chats
On the dog's sleeping lie once avoided like gnats.
The caul will fall too soon.

The Swede's scrapbook hung like a sail.
The Mick's napkin sketch what it's like beyond the veil.
The caul is over us now.

Charon's great ship with its white foam prow!
The caul has come over us now,
In the last sick light of the moon.
The caul always falls much too soon.