i saw a dead man once, with his eyes open
i saw him between two buildings
in the tiniest crawlspace alley...not quite hidden

i remember he had a hole in him, no blood

i shrugged him off because i was twelve years old
and had seen far too many movies

i wonder now if he had children
and were they unfortunate enough
to inherit some of his bad luck?

o how many must die to prove of an afterlife?
if this party is great and fun and harrowing at best
then why attend the after-party?

why not just stay a while longer
stumble into daylight
have a long piss in a diner bathroom while waiting on your breakfast?

so many dead, so very many

all the lifeless bodies in the morgue, and
all the lifeless bodies in the grocery store

i saw a dead man today in the bank.

eyes open
no life in him whatsoever.

he made a deposit, of course.