Under some misguided notion
of religion, just the bare bones
desire for immortality or stark

fear of death, we do everything
we can to save the body in time
and space even when the spirit

has departed, thus embalming
as a flesh preserver and sealing
as a guarantee to preserve the

flesh even further and, of course,
the favorite suit, shirt, tie, dress,
skirt, blouse thus relegating “ash-

es to ashes and dust to dust” to
the dust bin, but nothing lasts for-
ever, so when we stand at the

graves of loved ones and look
at the headstone we don’t think
of dilapidation in action and we

certainly don’t wish to think of
mom or dad as a scull in rags
six-feet down, so when we are

done with death denial and con-
sider faith, hope and love and
trust in the greatest of the three,

we can scatter ashes to the wind
confident that love has its myster-
iously loving plans.