Black veils draped over weeping faces
The slow singing of hymns
The recital of scriptures
Sorrowful eyes take one last view
The closing of the final chapter
Crying and wailing ensues
Flowers and a large photo tower over lifelessness
Carved and varnished wood is draped with soft cloth
Six men line up in stillness; three on each side
The white gloves of the pallbearers clutch metal against wood
The lifting of the departed
The rolling of wheels down a narrow aisle
A long pause before another heave
The fallen is carried
The cargo is loaded
A constant flowing of tears
The long ride –
