Helen Heath - Fire burns
Fire burns
Fire burns clean
flesh from the bone.
Silver earrings melt
and flammable fabric.
Embalmer's fluid
ignites easily, smoke rises.
They use
a large tool to grind the bones.
There's too much
for a shoebox to contain,
wrapped in brown paper
with your name on it,
my father the postman
delivering you home.
-- Helen Heath
Fire burns clean
flesh from the bone.
Silver earrings melt
and flammable fabric.
Embalmer's fluid
ignites easily, smoke rises.
They use
a large tool to grind the bones.
There's too much
for a shoebox to contain,
wrapped in brown paper
with your name on it,
my father the postman
delivering you home.
-- Helen Heath