REMEMBERING AN AUNT.

A MAN REMEMBERS HIS AUNT.

Auntie used to say, don’t forget
To wash your hands before and

After every meal and after you
Have been to the john and when

You get up in the morning and
Before you go to bed, don’t forget

To wash your neck and face and
Arms up to the elbows, and don’t

Speak with your mouth full and
Always stand when a lady enters

The room and don’t interrupt other
People when they speak and speak

The truth when speaking and always
Remember your prayers. Sixty years

On and standing at her funeral,
Watching the coffin pass you by

Blessed on the coffin cover with
Flowers of different colours, seeing

The sadness on other faces and tears,
Listening to the hymns, watching

The coffin standing there in the chapel,
You think of your auntie, lying there

Still and silent, peaceful and dead,
And remember her words and saying,

I won’t forget, Auntie, inside your head.