Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Mortality and Canned Peas


Mortality and Canned Peas

It may sound heartless when I say
that my first memory of death
is tied to the taste and texture
of green peas from a can

When I first recalled all this
I was sure that these disparate thoughts
had accidentally bumped together
in pre-dawn mind meander time

so I circled back
around my first remembered home
first memory of mother sitting
on the low back stoop in summertime

then on to Maine and my first schools
box after box of feelings to sort through
or more like stacks of wrinkled paper
to be examined each in turn

and here it was        the classmate
disappeared from school one day
my parents told me
as supper sat untouched on plates

told me heaven makes this all OK
and so began digestion of
life and tuna casserole
and soggy tasting green peas from a can



© Frank Kearns 2015



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