A death in the family
A coffin to fill
A loved-one to mourn
But the corpse won't stay still
It sits on the sofa
With both feet propped up
Then into the kitchen
To fill its tea cup
It takes up the jam
And a dry crust of bread
As if eating
Were a natural thing for the dead
A walk in the evening
For it likes to keep fit
Then a rest in the den
With the fireplace lit
At night it retires
With curtains all drawn
Then up again early
For breakfast at dawn
We sit at the table
The living and dead
But I only can think
About what lies ahead
For funeral expenses
I spare not a thought
But I fear what will happen
When the corpse starts to rot
I have asked it too kindly
To not hang around
I have asked it to leave
And get into the ground
But the corpse only stares
At me blankly, or smiles
It apparently plans
To stay here for a while
A death in the family
Is a somber affair
But a death in our family
Does not quite compare
To those that are honored
In stone and in wood
And get buried below
Like all good corpses should
So to my dear family
This promise I will keep
That when I die
I will lie
In the ground and there,
I will sleep.
