Jane’s Remains

ROBERT ALLEN

May 27, 2020

My sister-in-law died the Ides of March

Then the virus spread

Now she’s just dead

Can’t have funerals till the virus abates

Would draw a big crowd

That’s not allowed

Asked my nephew’s wife about her remains

They’re at the funeral home

Jane’s all alone

Lies on a slab in a cold metal fridge

Other corpses surround

Her only friends now

We all know what kind of person she was

Sweet and generous soul

Least deserving woe

Our family plot is at Mission Park South

Brother waits for her there

In death to pair

October we will celebrate her life

If the virus is done

Her birthday month

We plan to exchange fondest memories

That’s how Jane’s remains

Become Jane again

ROBERT ALLEN is retired and lives with his wife, two children, five antique clocks, and six cats. He has poems in di-vêrsé-city, Voices de la Luna, the Texas Poetry Calendar, the San Antonio Express-News, and The Ocotillo Review. He has also been featured in VIA's Poetry on the Move contest.