The Afterlife
The Afterlife
We were told Orpheus had been there
but when we arrived there were only
the oranges and the apples and the pomegranates
laid to rest under fluorescent and mirrors
with bags of potatoes and some spilling out onto
the floor and asparagus next to the bell peppers
and in the aisles, there were aisles, the dead
strolled with their goods in front of them in metal
cages on wheels and lingered in the frozen food
section or deciding what kind of pasta (fussili or…),
the best tomatoes, there are choices.
Do you want a name brand toothpaste
or can you make do with a generic? We were told
Orpheus would be there, seeking Eurydice again.
But these sorts of tales reach the listener with
a certain amount of inaccuracy and some allowances
should be made for tragedy plus time.
