Be One w/the Man You Normally Are Not

Complete the smallest
acts of love. The smaller,
the better. Wipe a crumb
from a mouth, swallow
words, you know
which ones, etcetera.
Write down the acts
on lists and show
no one. On the coldest
night of the year,
when your children
come to you cold, burn
the lists. Collect
the ashes. Store them,
and show no one.
When you have enough
for a body, throw a
funeral for a lost
friend, a lost family
member. Invite
no one, but pursue
the ritual doggedly.
Dig and sob and bury.
Afterwards, call the newly
mourned friend, and
greet him as
a risen lord.