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country boys die with both names
by Charlie MorganBilly George, brother to Jimmy Don; both
cousins to James Anthony, Frankie Don,
Charles Ray, Charles Cecil and more;
so we tucked him in satin for viewing,
only to cook him at 1600 to 1800 degrees
for about two hours, (often called cremains)
and are not "ashes" in the usual sense,
but rather
dried bone fragments that have been pulverized
in a device called a cremulator.
so Billy George burned once but both names
went into the atmosphere with his organs and
other soft tissues, such as his mama's heart.
she's cried several times over death's knock.
aunt May cries alone, hurts alone, now lives alone.
why aren't boys supposed to cry, we still hurt.
10/22/2008 Posted on 10/22/2008
Copyright © 2026 Charlie Morgan
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Alison McKenzie on 10/22/08 at 10:41 PM I'm sorry for your loss, sweet Charlie Ray. |
| Posted by Alisa Js on 10/22/08 at 11:43 PM Sending heart felt condolences from out here in paradise... alisa ;-( |
| Posted by Morgan D Hafele on 10/26/08 at 01:38 AM Charlie, thank you for sharing this. |
| Posted by Anastasia Selby on 10/28/08 at 02:01 AM this is a beautiful poem. |
| Posted by David Garner on 10/28/08 at 12:41 PM this is beautiful and stunning. |
| Posted by Tony Whitaker on 10/29/08 at 04:51 AM I send my condolences and a wonderful tribute to your, and your family's, pain. |
| Posted by David Hill on 10/30/08 at 12:14 AM Well done. I like the country flavor, and the many fine details that bring this to life. |
| Posted by Joe Cramer on 10/30/08 at 08:20 PM brilliant! I could not rate this high enough.... |
| Posted by LK Barrett on 11/03/08 at 11:04 PM Breaks my heart-thank you very much. |
| Posted by Glenn Currier on 11/04/08 at 04:38 AM Rooted in the soil of East Texas and sprinkled with the sweet and sad particles of friendship and love. This one tugs at my soul. Thank you, Charlie. |
| Posted by Sandy M. Humphrey on 11/06/08 at 06:25 PM Been to some of those country boy partings and the sadness lingers here....well done, tones of Southern Rock play in my head when I read this as a good by is said. smh |
| Posted by Allison Smith on 08/03/09 at 09:58 AM "so Billy George burned once but both names
went into the atmosphere with his organs and
other soft tissues, such as his mama's heart."
Such a true stanza and so heartbreaking. Favourite. |
| Posted by A. Paige White on 08/03/09 at 10:33 AM Congrats on POTD sweetheart! |
| Posted by Cassandra Leigh on 08/04/09 at 12:51 AM this is brilliant, beautiful, poignant... thank you so much for sharing this personal piece with us |
| Posted by Alex Smyth on 08/12/09 at 12:39 PM Don't know how I missed this one. This poem not only touches the heart of any loss but the deep roots of heritage. Thanks for posting and congratulations on POTD. |
| Posted by Johnny Crimson on 10/21/10 at 11:57 AM In shock! |
| Posted by Elizabeth Jill on 03/10/11 at 06:31 PM only *you* could write this with such a quiet aching so carefully in the background. I found this in Daniel's favorites, and am so glad I looked. Immense topic and so well delivered, as Charlie will do to you. |
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