How do I describe the man who just died?

 

His family were by his side

When he breathed his last

His widow wailed and his orphans cried

His relatives prayed and his friends grieved

His young grandchild was outside playing all the while

 

His neighbors streamed in

Through the kitchen door they came

The womenfolk swept the yard

And found where the pots and pans were kept

The neighborhood barber gave him a bath

A shave and clipped his nose hairs

The menfolk gathered bamboo poles and put up tents

The man who lived at the edge of the barrio

Donated firewood to boil coffee and cook food

The village chief gave a sack full of rice

His young grandchild was outside playing all the while

 

Phones rang and his relatives said

“Wait for us please.  We’ll be there soon to see Nobling”

For six days and nights the house filled

Mourners spilled out into the streets

Both the boisterous and the infirm

Came to pay their last respects

To the man who just died

Many strangers arrived to offer prayers

They have heard of the man who served them well

The village’s gay person adorned his coffin with flowers

While the drunkard remained sober.

Outside his young grandchild kept playing

 

It seemed the entire town came

When we buried the man who died

The church singer sang his favorite tune

While his younger brother gave him a salute

His young grandchild kept looking around

Wondering why everyone was crying

And when will his grandfather wake up

From his long sleep

 

                                -- Quezon City / 23 February 2007 / 4:21 pm