Sunset at the Cemetery
Let me lay with the lizards
beyond the keyhole
let me unlock the silent secrets of death
and be warmed by the heavy blanket of earth
embracing my cold bones
let the living go on in their earth full of song
let their wheels keep spinning
splitting through our stagnant city of stone
let the crows keep solemn watch over sorrowful eyes in suits
matching the mournful hue of their feathers
let the weeds sink their slim roots into these long forgotten temples
and let their wispy bouquet crown our existence
then be carried away by the wind
an unspoken elegy to what has been
—Emily Baumgarten
illustration by Happy Burbeck
