Naomi Duncan's 'Memorials'
Updated 5:00 pm, Friday, June 14, 2013
Tarantula-killers hover by the markers
while chameleons scamper over the names,
some familiar, some forgotten.
Dust-devils whirl to cover and uncover
a life's achievements and reinventions.
When the appointed season arrives
the brave ones rise,
confidently making their way
to their assigned post.
resists their efforts to stand firmly
while their striving is challenged.
After the Day of Judgment passes
the sentinels return
to their resting play —
some marching triumphantly,
others slouching dejectedly.
The stacks of names in the garage
are reshuffled to be recycled
when the surviving candidates emerge
for their next campaign.
Naomi Duncan is a classical musician and former teacher. Her poetry has appeared in “Voices Along the River” and “The Dreamcatcher.”
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