Requiem For The Year 2011 Poem by RIC BASTASA

at the last hour
we march toward a common grave
bringing the flowers
and some stones

they year is kept inside
a niche laced with white silk

slowly the men with strong arms
lowered the niche
to the the newly dug hole
seven feet under

the women with long black hair
wept beside their innocent children

the year is buried
as we then throw the final stones

then it is covered
with its soil returned
until it is full
and then we put the flowers
it is over
now

and then we go back to our houses
it is nighttime
we close the doors
and open the windows to see
those beautiful stars