Paul placed grief in the cedar chest
so it would be fresh
for the next friend who passed away.
He thought of washing his grief
before storing it.
He wished to hang it
on the crescent moon to air dry
but he might lose it
when an owl flew by.
Paul awoke at night
hearing an owl call from a branch
outside his bedroom window.
In the morning he opened
the cedar chest
to double check his grief was still there.
copyright © 2022 Kenneth P. Gurney
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