listen listen hush
from “Hush the Call of Names”
cease the call of names
give the dead back their beauty
let their eyes return like agates
let their noise in this room be poems
be topaz
be blue iris
a cup of hibiscus tea
and from this moment
lift your head for signs of life
and from this moment
lest us sing let us sing
let us begin again.
Today’s read: Arrival: Poems by Cheryl Boyce-Taylor – Triquarterly Books, Northwestern University Press – 2017
It’s hard not to be morbid during the time of pandemic. It’s also not horrible to think of death. United States culture vilifies death. A few weeks back the 45th President claimed he had not tested for COVID. I knew that was another lie piled on a stack of lies.
You know who fears death? Rich white guys. The fear of the world moving on without them is their dread.
Meanwhile, death happens all the time and you would hope this culture switches from recording numbers to documenting stories. No more call of names but to share impact.