GRAVESTONES

Only a few of the stones in the graveyard are stones.
Most are panels of granite fixed in an upright
Stance with words or dates to try to cheat
Our memories into the “never-forget-me” pretense.

The other pretense is uprightness. The weight
Is real. The heavy panels want to lie down.
The older ones begin to envy the ground.
The angles slip from ninety to the eighties,

And the oldest ones, human connections long gone,
Find earth connections weaken, and they can lean
Way over, maybe finally falling supine
In the grass. Gravity’s stronger than sentiment.

“Forever” is only a word. But the real stones
Are stable. They don’t fall down. They only erode.

(48, August 29, 1992)

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