Elaine Equi

A Date With an Undertaker
August 20, 2011 Equi Elaine

A Date With an Undertaker

 

He liked to bathe, dress,
do their make-up himself.

Always brought flowers.
Made them sleep in a coffin.

Insisted on no talk
or movement during sex.

Only their eyes could flutter open
at the end when he gave the signal-kiss.

One young wanting-to-impress girl
worked hard at “playing dead”
by trying to “spiritualize” her thoughts.

But an older one said she took a special pride
in doing absolutely nothing and that this
was the kind of thing that couldn’t be faked.

Elaine Equi is the author of many books, including Ripple Effect: New & Selected Poems, Click and Clone, and most recently The Intangibles (all from Coffee House Press).