Anti Requiem

~ Meg

Speaking in hushed tones,
About things no one cares about.
Platitudes and cliches:
“There, there, by and by”

Covering up the ugliness,
With half truths and exaggeration.
Rewriting history, erasing memory…
“Be at peace, peace be with you”

Droning voices and incense,
The rituals and traditions,
Offer the bereaved no comfort.
“Dona eis requiem. Amen”

In a box lined with silk,
And into a whitewashed grave,
We commit our “beloved”
For whom we gather here together.

But whose rottenness is more,
Than decomposing flesh,
It runs completely to the bones.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

Header Image: detail form Garden of Earthly Delights: Hieronymus Bosch; The Gates of Hell

A poem for Tanya…

Published by Meg

Easily amused, never bored and constantly distracted. My creative pursuits include writing, drawing, painting and photography.

36 thoughts on “Anti Requiem”

      1. I’m thinking the o only redemption would be mental illness. In my mind that would be very different from someone acting out of hatred. Not sure which way your story is going yet. It’s a fascinating concept within a family!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Right! I think so too. We will only have second hand accounts to assess the state of Tanya’s thinking in the end as well. Nevertheless when everyone finally gets to talking, a great deal will be revealed.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. It has been done on many occasions throughout history. “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.” Archbishop to dying generalissimo (on his deathbed): “Do you forgive your enemies?” Dying generalissimo: “I have no enemies. I have shot them all.” Apocryphal but still good.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. I always find words at a funeral empty and meaningless… worse so, of course, when the deceased has done horrible things. But being a heathen… I lot of things I hear are meaningless to me.

    This is the perfect companion to your story. Are you going to include it in the book? I think you should!

    Also, that is one of my favorite works of art.

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    1. I probably will include it. Maybe to introduce the chapter that follows. The Bosch painting is one of my favorites, too. He is in my top five favorite artists, altogether. I love all the bizarre images and all the details. Thank you so much!

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      2. I can see how… oh, to have the time to devote to such a pursuit. I keep meaning to tell you, I’m enjoying H. Green now that I’m a way into the story. I had trouble at first keeping his characters straight. And it’s one long narrative with no breaks. But now I’m onto it!

        Liked by 1 person

  8. I had the, I don’t know, opposite effect, at my friends’ funeral 25+ years ago. His family were a HUGE piece of the puzzle that led him to suicide, yet they were the ones with empty words and praised. Hypocrites. It was sickening to myself and the other three who were his family after his cast him aside, simply because he liked men. It was a scene I’ll never forget, and makes me angry to this day. Now, in the case of your story, this poem is the perfect compliment. 😃

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    1. Oh, that would have just made me so angry! Yeah, trying to hold a funeral for someone who’s committed a horrible crime AND against another family member… I don’t know how you do it!

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      Reply

      1. Yeah, the four of us that were closest to him were all irate. We should’ve been the pall bearers, given the eulogy. We were pretty pissed by the whole scene. Now, as for how you write about what happened in your novel? That’s a tough one. What about the baby?!? 😳

        Liked by 1 person

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