The Funeral

by Bhanusree S. Kumar


My aunt’s body
Lay on the porch
Beneath marigold wreaths
Left by guests and kin.
The crowd was sparse
As she bequeathed
Only chiffon sarees
And a plywood desk.
A few socialists
Carried the corpse
To the backyard pyre
To complete the rites.
Once her bitter son
Lit the wood,
The crowd dispersed
For tea and snacks.

The next morning,
A priest prepared
Ritual rice balls
For ravens to feast.
They were doused in ghee,
And served on plantain leaves,
With flecks of sesame
And rings of durva grass.
The ceremony ended
With the priest receiving
A scanty fee wrapped in
A crinkled betel leaf.
 
Meanwhile, the spirit
Relished sweet manna,
Free from onus,
Beyond galactic time.


* * * * *

Bhanusree S. Kumar is a writer from Kerala, India. Her poems have appeared in The Gorko Gazette, Topical Poetry, Lakeview International Journal of Literature and Arts, The New Indian Express, Lions’ Voice and Heart-Bytes. Besides writing, she enjoys listening to classical music and dabbling in watercolour painting.