Tragedy

The church crammed to the doors;

tragedy of a young man’s death;

wife bereft, children barely understanding;

a mass mourning.

Behind the rows of congregation, a woman

pushes through to a position

from which she can see the coffin clearly.

Crying inconsolably

in that part of the church where the eyes are dry;

later she will carry her grief home

as though it was their child,

spend the coming nights alone in its company.