Elegy with Underlying Tones

Imitation of Kelli Russell Agodon

 

I hide from emotions at a funeral by saying a joke:
A lonely man went to a burlesque show—His pride was stripped.
The only time I cry is from laughter. I skipped
a rock across Roubaix Lake. When we sprinkled the ashes,
the fire in my eyes was doused.

My grandma always said she was proud to be an American.
I am not worried about the deficit. It’s big enough to take care of itself.
I think of Lee Greenwood’s song and how grandma was never able to stand up
against the cancer.

Some of my grandma’s remains were poured into an urn
that now sits above our TV—Wheel of Fortune
will never be the same. Did I start out by saying:
I hide from emotions at a funeral by saying a joke?
Those last four words weren’t necessary.

How did I come upon a burlesque?