It’s hard to dab her waxen cheeks.
Sockets fill with sea; digits tremble.
When daffodils last bloomed,
her face wore roses. Fresh endorsed
for necromancy that brought
solace to sobbing left-behinders.
“Keeping you safe, daddy,”
she’d insisted as she imbued
another covid corpse.
Image: “Funeral” by Dondavid
De Jackson is today’s host for dVerse‘ Quadrille Monday. De says:
Write a poem of exactly 44 words, including some form of the word dab. Make up a form of the word if you like, just be sure it’s in there, and that your poem adds up to exactly 44 words not including the title.
Tao Talk 
Oh, this is a good one! Love the illustration to, it’s perfect for your words.
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Thank you, Jane.
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🙂
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This is chilling in the present situation, and ripe with Gothic madness. Combined with the image it sends shivers down my spine!
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Thank you, Ingrid.
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Wow, this is a chilling piece, from title to last line. Whew.
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Thank you, De.
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The tragedy behind every death is often hidden behind the statistics… reminds me of the early part of the 20th century and tuberculosis that ravaged the population.
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We seldom think of the undertakers and those they love 😦
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I agree with all the comments above–chilling and perfect title and illustration. It makes me think of the sin-eaters.
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Thank you, Merril. I’ve heard the term sin-eaters but will need to look it up to see what it means.
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I’ve encountered the term in stories. They were considered outcasts, but they were given meals after someone died, and it believed that with eating the food, they consumed the person’s sins. I suppose then the dead person’s soul was wiped clean.
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Ah. Thank you for the information.
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This is incredibly dark and chilling, Lisa! I especially like; “When daffodils last bloomed,her face wore roses.”💝
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Thank you, Sanaa.
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Another poetic avenue that you pursue–your Muse has a sense of humor, and your imagination has no lingual limits. Concept, image, language, all taunt and chilling.
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Glenn thank you!
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A bone-chilling poem. A many-times told story.
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Thank you, Beverly.
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A bone-chilling poem. A many-times told story.
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Tres au-courante, Lisa. And the artwork is a perfect accompaniment.
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Well, that put a smile on my face…
Just kidding!
Wow… how dark, Lisa.
-David
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Whoa! What a kick in the gut, that ending. Love it! Excellent, Lisa. Love the photo, too.
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Thank you, Susan. His sorrow has been multiplied exponentially 😦
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What a heartbreaking scenario. Wonderful poem though. 🙂
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Barbara, thank you.
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Wow! you went real deep with this one! What a great poem! Such vivid images of what most would rather not think about! A sad announcement to all that many are still dying of this dreaded virus.!
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When I hear that covid vaccinations sit unused because certain idiots have pushed a message that taking it is the mark of the beast it’s difficult to shake off.
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That is a new one for me! It is rather incredulous to think of the many irrational reasons people use to avoid taking it!
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Yes, I first saw mention of it on one of my brother’s facebook page and then googled it. It is like being in the Twilight Zone more often than not anymore.
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Oh this one’s dreary, but so is this pandemic
Happy Monday
Much💝love
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Exactly, Gillena 😦
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Dark and haunting as is the reality of covid.
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I wish it wasn’t so 😦
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Such a fine piece. Lifting the veil on the corpse tenders. ‘Essential’ workers we think of as heroic nurses and medicos – but here’s the undertaker’s song – still shunned.
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I appreciate your comment very much. Thank you.
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Well that is bone chilling.
My buddy who has been diabetic since he was a kid and is waiting on a kidney got covid a few weeks ago. We were all worried…but he pulled through thankfully.
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So happy he pulled through.
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Chilling!
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Sad, creepy, relevant . . . great job, Lisa! 🌞
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Lisa, thank you!
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That would be a hard job…”sockets fill with sea” is such a good line, in that it really makes one imagine the creepiest image ever! 😱
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Sorry your imagination conjured creepiness!
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I love the way you took a cheerful little word and took it into dark depths, Lisa! I especially love the sibilant ‘sockets fill with sea’ and ‘necromancy that brought solace to sobbing left-behinders’.
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Thank you very much, Kim.
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How to count the lies being spread these days? Your words contain the proper chilling sensation. (K)
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Kerfe, thank you.
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Wow! Bone chilling Lisa.
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Thank you, Linda.
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Necromancy no less! What next in this age of covid? Never mind. This was exquisite horror, Lisa.:)
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Dora, I used necromancy here because of a movie I saw recently, where doctors from the ancient times were not allowed to look inside of bodies because the church would accuse them of necromancy. Then I shifted it to undertakers who have to make a corpse look good for their loved ones.
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Heartbreaking… wonderfully expressed, Li.
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Punam, thank you very much. I felt this person’s story needed to be told.
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Absolutely! You are welcome.
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The story needs telling. Excellent, Lisa!
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Thank you, Sara. I wish it didn’t 😦
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