INOFFICIANCY

The minister who leads the funeral
Is challenged by the mourners’ expectations.
The passage rites comprise sublime compassions,
And we hunger for more than empty protocol.

We want the fitting word; we want the kind
Heart. We got the words–literate, witty,
Sensitive, allusive. What a pity
That we found the night before his soul was blind,

And we saw his character in disarray
As he haggled and chiseled up his fee. It was hard
Not to recall the Emerson quote: “What you are
Speaks so loud I can’t hear what you say.”

I resist the clear conclusion of this poem:
To hear a man it’s better not to know him!

(30, July 6, 1992)

Comments

The word “officiant” is well known as here. The prefix “in” negates as in efficient and inefficient. So my Dad invented a new word to match his experience.

[John Alvord 12/18/2025]