Eulogy

the awkward dawn stretch. / the minute before when / he ain’t a man, just / a matchflame within someone’s reach.

Creative
Pink cowboy boots kick up from the bottom of the image, framed by cut ropes and pastel splashes.

Content warning: references to death, allusions to homophobia/transphobia

 

Here Lies Cowboy—

                         fought
shot
                                                               stole
                                    died.
                                                      …

          put his boots on the bed, got told
                                                               put that smoke out, seen enough

                      through the window, up the veins of the mountain,

                                 got told stop smilin’ like a schoolgirl,
                                                  you all glittered up like the snake in the Garden,

holding that apple by the stem and twisting it,

                                               spinning temptation.


                                                                                 spoiled himself with new spurs,

          enjoyed the sound of them,

                                                       chiming                  like a bejewelled lady when he walked


silver, silver, dust. Here Lies Cowboy adream—

                                 not like he used to be, not twitching catlike,
                                                              no bouncing fingers, no jaw working
          overtime, no tooth-on-tooth,
                                                       no hat over his face so you can’t see his eyes

                                                                                                  are open. always

                      slept like that. used to read the sweat-

                                                                                 stains on the canvas, little
                                                       interest in stars.

dreamed of a horse and a symphony of silver,

         
          diamonds,
                                                       all up his arms.

                                 
                                 Here Lies Cowboy, broke—
                      made no money keeping the best diamonds for himself.


          Here Lies Cowboy, a bad invitation.

                                               practises another pose.
          this one could say huddle for warmth?

                                                         wishes the selfie was invented so he could check.

                      barely breathes through the night, feels

                                                                    the body curled beside him and against him,
                                                           doesn’t even need a handhold.

                                 the awkward dawn stretch.

                                                                                the minute before when

                                 he ain’t a man, just
                                                                    a matchflame within someone’s reach.

          just an orange flare, tear-shaped, inside the night.

                                               so what if we died like this, out wild,
                                                           so far away we can’t be found,

                                 can’t be buried.

                                                                                ah well.
 

Here Lies Cowboy—

                                                                    you want a man beside you in a grave,

                      sure.

                                               take the devil.

 
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