Remains Unsuitable for Viewing
                    after Charles Simic

The paperwork said.
The coffin duly marked as such, as well.
We wonder who made the decision for us
And why.
It wasn’t as if he’d been struck blind
and sent to clear a minefield.
If we could see what was left inside
we might conclude otherwise.
Clearing the minefields.
One man is never enough.




Down time at

The mall pizza place
old guys shot
the shit with the owner,
drank bad, burned coffee
commenting about,
“No tits. Nice ass
counter worker,”
who was the owner’s
girlfriend.
Everyone laughs.
Except for her.
She doesn’t need
the aggravation,
they don’t live
together, but she
needs the job.
Says nothing.
The more raucous
the comments,
the redder her face
gets, wipes the past
table and keeps on
going out into
the mall.
“She’ll be back.”
the owner says.
I always thought
She was always pleasant.
Always hard working.
Sweet even.
Nice ass, no tits,
shouldn’t define
who she is but
it does.