A Simple Obituary Poem by Raymond Farrell

It was a simple obituary:

William J Arnold
Deceased age 23
Cause of death
Homicide

Billy had been a promising kid
Gifted in many ways
But sadly his addiction
Destroyed his life
And when he became
Indebted
To his dealers
His inability to pay
Eventually
Led to his murder

The grotesqueness and efficiency
Of the cold-calculated crime
Shocked a neighborhood
Long use to crime

It would appear
From the so-called evidence
That Billy's body had been
Chopped into pieces
(God only knows how many}
And put out with the trash
Most likely
Bit by bit
Over time

Every Tuesday afternoon
The city's garbage truck
Came by
The driver
Pushed a button
And a mechanical arm
Extended
To pick up the pail
Hoisted it
Then upended the contents
Into the truck
In this fashion
Billy's mortal remains
Made their way
To their final resting place
At the Northeast Dump
Where a city employee
Saw a human mandible
In the trash
And the ensuing investigation
Identified it
As Billy's jaw bone
The murderer(s)
Have yet to be found

A remembrance service was held
And according to the local press
The community has come to terms with it
And is slowly
Getting back to normal
Whatever that is supposed to mean!