gravedigger’s blues
grave all chewed up scorched earth demeanour grave
as i karate chop cemetery manager a frail+dastardly
man-elf who lies baldfaced to the grief wracked +barely living
the dead have his number my mother would have unminced
words for him she of the truth unvarnished she would say
+particularly to those with delusions of grandeur we were poor
my mother had a
grocery store
we lived upstairs
and we always had food
proud daughter of a pokerplayer+tailor Jewish quarter Montreal
born 1924 her final cryptic-wisdom in the weeks leading up to
her death at 98 i’ll tell him when he gets here
he was coming for her and she knew it and she was fuckingfearless
he sang her songs in the middle of the night old standards from the
40’s for this we called a mediocre lady psychiatrist who said:
your mother is deaf (!) i guess Benny Goodman at 4 am renders one
deaf for this she attended several universities +taught at U of T so
what did mother tell him when he got here?
and i quote:
you’re no match for me you cowardly bastard i dated the Ali Kahn
for chrissakes sat with Sinatra in a choice booth at the El Morocco
how many times did you have to ring the doorbell at 4 am?
for this my kids nearly committed me!
why you’re nothing but a
2 bit door to door reaper
and your voice don’t ask !
__
Fall 2023 ..one year..rest easy mummybird ..🐦
songanddancegirl 