DEATH Poem: The Man in Apartment 42, by Nelly Neufeld

rotten stench pervades the air
seeping through brick,
gliding through wood
all of it seeking
his death to share

the announcement was silent,
unheard and unseen
suddenly dead
with what could have been

the maggots feast, BIG and fat
the flies vomit, splat splat splat
they twirl and coil
munching, gobbling
on his pile of flesh

everything spoiled
no longer fresh
and for weeks, he wasn’t missed
pants stained, blood on his wrist
accident or suicide?
Who can know, when it was for him to decide.

all we know is that he had lain
quiet and unmoving
worms eating his brain

and there he lies
the rotting corpse
surrounded by vermin
surrounded by flies

the man in apartment 42