Photo by Neven Krcmarek on Unsplash

In The Wake: A Pandemic Poem

You’re having a celebration of life
But I’m here for the funeral
I’m here for the firm voice
of the priest squaring my shoulders
and telling me

It’s okay to grieve

It’s okay to grieve the things you wanted
the things you no longer have
even as the death knell
echoes through empty streets…