Death barged in

Death barged in

He has been here ever since.

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In his Russian greatcoat,
slamming open the door
with an unpardonable bang,
and he has been here ever since.

He changes everything,
rearranges the furniture,
his hand hovers
by the phone;
he will answer now, he says;
he will be the answer.

Tonight he sits down to dinner
at the head of the table
as we eat, mute;
later, he climbs into bed
between us.

Even as I sit here,
he stands behind me
clamping two
colossal hands on my shoulders
and bends down
and whispers to my neck:
From now on,
you write about me.


“Death Barged In” reprinted with permission from Slamming Open the Door, © 2009 by Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno, published by Alice James Books, www.alicejamesbooks.org.

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