DEATH Poem: Saltwater Thicker Than Blood, by Claire Moriah Ferguson

Sopping coats actively remind us this is
not the August day it was planned to be.
Pebbles slick with melted snow and salt sea
prove no obstacle for twelve numbed bodies.
Manic giggles, her cold hand nearly missing
mine. We sit atop driftwood, once a live tree,
before breaking down until nearly
unrecognizable. She cradles ashes,
my father passed out what remains of hers.
Show off, her brother cries out to dad, as he
walks waist deep into frigid water, finally
fulfilling a promise made here thirty years
before. Burnt letters, now floating debris.
Just one relapse, into finality.

Author: poetryfest

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