While I was in my death cleaning mode I found a copy of this poem I had printed out from Garrison Keillor’s “The Writers’ Almanac” from National Public Radio (NPR ). It was dated Saturday, December 27, 2003. It seems appropriate for this World AIDS Day 2019. Funerals can unite us.
1989
by Ron Koertge
Because AIDS was slaughtering people left and right,
I went to a lot of memorial services that year.
There were so many, I’d pencil them in between
a movie or a sale at Macy’s. The other thing that
made them tolerable was the funny stories people
got up and told about the deceased: the time he
hurled a mushroom fritata across a crowded room,
those green huraches he refused to throw away,
the joke about the flight attendant and the banana
that cracked him up every time.
But this funeral was for a blind friend of my wife’s
who’d merely died. And the interesting thing
about it was the guide dogs; with all the harness
and the sniffing around, the vestibule of the church
looked like the starting line of the Iditarod. But
nobody got up to talk. We just sat there,
and the pastor read the King James version. Then he
said someday we would see Robert and he us.
Throughout the service, the dogs slumped beside their
masters. But when the soloist stood and launched
into a screechy rendition of “Abide With Me,” they sank
into the carpet. A few put their paws over their ears.
Someone whispered to one of the blind guys; he told
another, and the laughter started to spread. People
in the back looked around, startled and embarrassed,
until they spotted all those chunky Labradors
flattened out like animals in a cartoon about
steamrollers. Then they started, too.
That was more like it. That was what I was used to-
a roomful of people laughing and crying, taking off
their sunglasses to blot their inconsolable eyes.
THE COASTAL CRONE 
This is a very good poem. Thank you for sharing.
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It just really touched me so I was glad to find it again. Thanks for the visit.
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What a beautiful poem. As I read it, I heard Garrison Keillor’s folksy, baritone, and could picture the scene. Thank you for posting this.
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Yes, no one can read poetry like him! I miss hearing him on NPR but there is still poetry on NPR in the morning every day. It is called “The Slowdown with Tracy K. Smith” She is a poet and does a good job of commenting and reading the poetry of others.
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Excellent find, Jo … and cheers to your PSA.
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Thanks, Frank! I am glad I kept a copy.
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A wonderful post for WORLD AIDS DAY. My own brother died in the 80’s of AIDS related causes. He was a wonderful man and there were so many that came to his funeral at which I spoke. The services were held in a funeral home in San Francisco where he lived most of his adult life. Thanks again for the post.
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Rene, I am so sorry for you loss but glad you were able to speak at his service and meet some of his friends. The 80’s were a dark period for many young men who were abandoned by family. My son lost several of his friends – they became our friends too – to AIDS. We should always remember! Thank you for sharing.
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Wonderful poem, Jo. So heartfelt. A lovely post and reminder.
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It just struck me how death connects all of us no matter the cause. And laughter and tears are a part of grieving.
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A super poem, Jo. I like your header too.
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I am glad you liked both, John. There are so many new murals in downtown CC but this is my favorite because it is just like the old postcards. I have been meaning to stop for a photo for a long time.
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It looks terrific.
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What a great poem, joyful amid grief!
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It just brought everyone down to earth and found joy in the absurd reactions of the dogs. Sad that so many were lost during that period.
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What a wonderful poem! And I agree, it’s so much easier to deal with grief when some humor is thrown in…. I smiled just reading about the dogs with their paws over their ears!
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Glad you liked it too! A little rumor goes a long way even facing death. I loved imaging the dogs with paws over their ears too. And it was written with such a subtle was that it too me by surprise. Thanks for taking time to read and comment!
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This poem gave me goosebumps. And a smile along with the tear in the eye. Yes, that’s the only kind of memorial services I like – the ones that celebrate a life and allow loved ones/friends to tell stories that surround the mourners with grateful memories.
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This one really touched me at the time and again when I found it recently. I prefer a service that allows family and friends to share stories and memories instead of a minister preaching a sermon. Thanks for the visit!
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If this doesn’t sound too gruesome, I sometimes think about my own funeral, who will speak and what they will say. I wonder sometimes what people really think about me…maybe I should write the eulogy myself!
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Oh, it is not gruesome at all. I want to at least write my own obituary! Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!
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Oh, wow. Beautiful and human and funny.
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Thank you for that Poem share Jo, and for your own kind heart in all you do and share..
I hope you had a most beautiful Christmas, and I send you my thoughts for a Wonderful New Year as we enter the next decade..
May it be filled with Peace, Harmony and Laughter, Love, joy and Happiness..
Happy 2020 Jo…
Much love Sue ❤
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Thank you, Sue, for taking time out to read and comment. I had a good Christmas, not quite as I planned, but it was good in its simplicity. Peace, harmony, laughter, love, joy and happiness…who could ask for more! It is up to us to make it so! And you encourage us all to look within for guidance.
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I so agree Jo, its up to us to make it so, in everything we do..
Many thanks Jo and have a beautiful year ahead my friend ❤
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Sorry for being absent for these long months.
Most of us cling to life and don’t want to die and leave our loved ones to grieve. I would be delighted to know that they sent me off with a bit of fun 🙂
We had a young family friend who died from AIDS in his late twenties just a couple of years ago.
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Glad to hear from you always at any time. I haven’t been posting much so you have not missed much. I am sorry for the loss of your young friend. AIDS is still a threat but it is not the death sentence it was in the 80s but it is better now with drugs. We lost too many young men as it was almost a pandemic among gay men. Stay well in our current pandemic! All OK here so far even though the cases are soaring here in Texas. Husband and I only get out if necessary.
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Glad you are safe. I stay away from the crowds too. So sorry to see people die from something that is avoidable.
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