Poem of the Month: July 2001

And another regrettable thing about death
is the ceasing of your own brand of magic,
which took a whole life to develop and market --
the quips, the witticisms, the slant
adjusted to a few, those loved ones nearest
the lip of the stage, their soft faces blanched
in the footlight glow, their laughter close to tears,
their tears confused with their diamond earrings,
their warm pooled breath in and out with your heartbeat,
their response and your performance twinned.
The jokes over the phone. The memories
packed in the rapid-access file. The whole act.
Who will do it again? That's it: no one;
imitators and descendants aren't the same.

--John Updike


Journal prompts:

• What's "another regrettable thing about death"?
• Write a Character Sketch of someone you miss.
• Write a list of names of those you love. What memories are "packed in the rapid-access file" for each? What is their own "brand of magic"?
• Write a story of the most memorable funeral you've ever attended.