The Dead Time Traveler
The dead time traveler keeps disappearing
when we try to bury her
The hole’s been ready for days
We’ve followed the instructions on the sticky notes
that appeared on the kitchen wall five years ago
We’ve worn ourselves out
carrying the body to the back yard again and again
We’ve cried all the tears we were ever allotted
and now we’ve found a new sticky note
a darker green than the others
inside the empty birdbath
which reads, You’re almost there
but the handwriting is different
and the paper more fragile
crumbling in the dry air
so we don’t think we’re almost there
and we suspect that the dead time traveler
is still a long way from resting in peace
whether she deserves to or not.
About the Author: Patricia Russo’s work has appeared in One Art, Wild Greens, The Sunlight Press, Vagabond City, Hex Literary, A Sufferer’s Digest, and Eulogy Press.
Image Credit: Czesław Pełczyński “The Graveyard at Dusk” Public domain image courtesy of Artvee
As It Ought To Be 