At my teens from Sunday church
I wandered in old small town
looking birds listening old band
near traditional coffin workshop
where many variety coffins stacked
When grown up as a student
Study of funerals were my interest
as it was rituals and traditions
show the drama of true life
on earth our real live theater
Witnessed looked heard read
many funerals of humans
in many parts of the world
vivid and the most touching
vivid customs practices faiths
Of pyramids caves chambers
umbrella stones urns pots
graveyards pits cemeteries
boxes cascades coffins carriers
mummies skeletons fossils
Nowadays I see the sad news
where people run for coffins
not available no money
no one near or dear around
but only close family around
Village churches struggle
as no funds no materials
to do last rites or to bury
where a coffin is a luxury
but put corpus in paper box
In bible Jesus buried in tomb
Which was built ready there
near where he was crucified
few attended but managed
with needful materials ready
*The Burial of Jesus
57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.Mathew Quoted.
Funerals were times of sorrow
being eldest son I was destined
to cover the face with cloth
before closing the coffin
of my loving father and mother
Here I do scribble few lines
of sorrow of present times
not only pains of dear and near
but of agonies of close family
in search of funds for coffin
Coffins are of most demand
even harder than war times
when whole world struggle
fighting hard to COVID 19
death toll alarming around
The girls carried their pop’s body
to home they never brought it
but only to the grave yard
and the pit was ready to lay
missing was coffin as no money
youngest girl broke her Piggy Bank
for money to buy a coffin
for their dear father to sleep…
when he succumbed to covid19
and they buried him for ever.
C.G. Prince is an artist
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