Island of the Dead
Went to the cemetery today
The boat dropped me off at the pier
It was very quiet
Except for the birdsong
And the gentle gusts of wind in the trees
As you might imagine
There was a lot of marble —
Tombs, crosses, angels, portraits in relief
Plastic flowers, inscriptions
Dates from, and until.
Fading photographs of people with dated hair styles
Grief, stillness, absence
I liked the Cypress trees though
They had a nice fresh pine smell
Looked so fantastically green against a backdrop of the deepest blue,
And another boat would soon arrive—
To take me back to the mainland.
Isola di San Michele, Venezia, 22/V/19
