Smithereens Press Chapbooks Atoll by Dylan Brennan | Page 18

Like others I decided not
to attend his funeral.
I hardly knew him I told myself.
He stayed in Condesa
for three days and nights
when down for the In Rainbows tour.
The last text I sent
was about moving
gear from my couch
at the agreed-upon hour.
Every death is an unacceptable affront.
The inexplicable murder
of a young orchestral conductor
is a dark leaden palm
that pushes down on the lungs.
Let it be known and understood –
there is nothing to be learned
from this.

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