Glenda Barrett

The conversations flow around me
as I walk into the funeral home.
She really looks good.
That dress is beautiful.
Look at all the flowers.
What a nice casket.

Although the casket is open,
folks seem to avoid death talk
as long as possible. Shortly,
friends are talking and laughing
and forget they are there. Denial
is preferable to reality.

A friend said to me once,
"I have this fear of dying."
My reply was, "I believe
dying will be easy,
it’s living that´s hard."
She gave me a quizzical look,
so I tried to explain.

I believe death will be like this.
"You know when you are small,
and are afraid of something
dissolve in tears, and make those
awkward snubbing sounds,
At that exact moment, your father
walks up to you, holds you in his arms
and says, ‘Don’t be afraid,
I’ll take good care of you.’"