Niche

Written about my uncle's death.

Niche

 

For Cesar Eladio Granados: Dying with dignity.

 

 

A carved sky bleeds quiet rain �" subtle, unlike a father- onto

 stacks of heavy squares, organized in dew and pasts

neatly beneath a worn plaque; new memories to pursue

further if only as a shabby lean-to for an overcast

cloud, a torn stone path draining at a cue

from candled coals shrewd on the inside, bracing for the blast.

 

I mourn the death of a life I never valued,

laying purple tulips like sage in a statued fist

where ceramic meets a dense mist of ash, hued

shades of graveled pinks kissed with grime; facing the east

side of sixth avenue tolls that insist routine or elude

customs spewed in dirt and seed; honoring the deceased.