Project 4: The Gravekeeper

I could have left behind
this cankered stone, near consumed
by ravenous ivy.
It could have all been different.

Then I wouldn't be here,
my back bent in two against
this fallen headstone, whose name
has flaked off with time.

But where would I be, if not here?
At university, I suppose -
One of those pleasant chapels of learning
with its tidy, busy students.

Or perhaps at a boisterous desk,
trapped behind screaming windows,
staring down at the
romping, rioting city below.

And then there's the etcetera:
the family package of spouse
and children, kitchen of squabbles.
Put in my time, then off to the retirement home.

And from there? Well,
from there I'd come back here -
one more corpse to feed the ivy,
while another stoops to lift my stone.

Unremarkable, perhaps, but better than
the quiet that comes with the company
of the dead. This is not that satisfied quiet
as when the radio has just switched off.

I could have left, yes. But
there's this stone - the only stone fallen
among hundreds.
How can I leave it?

In the years I have labored here,
not one soul has come to this spot.
No one complains to the groundskeeper
that their family is dishonored.

I would like to meet that soul,
that seven-times great-granddaughter or son.
"This was my kin," they'd say.
"Here lies the inventor of the cucumber sandwich."

These are the useless dead,
men and women of no notoriety.
They lived their dust decades, and serve their purpose
as food for the fungal kings.

I will stay with these unremarkable ones,
a supportive girdle about my back,
so that, in the end, I may lie down
next to this stone, that we may both
be consumed.

I really wanted to put this up last week, but then I got sick and lost all desire to write. This one really needed another draft on the written part before it wasa close to presentable. I wound up dong more of a quick spot-edit than a full on revision (except for a passage at the end that's brand-new and MUCH better than what it replaced), but it's really time to move on.

Believe it or not, this piece actually started a a novel idea several years ago. The last fantasy novel I ever attempted to write. Even with my current disgust with the fantasy genre, I think I may go back and attempt this one again one day - as it featured an unconventional heroine and a bit of a twist on the usual fantasy ending (the hero abandons the quest and the good guys lose). Well, I guess I CAN'T go back to it now. I just spoiled the ending. Oh, well.

I'm still trying to figure out how to best take advantage of the Procreate app for drawing. My usual technique for line work just doesn't fly as well on the iPad screen, and I'm still not that great with color. That said, aspects of this picture work really well (in my humble estimation). I'm especially pleased with the grave in the foreground.