Reflections on Fred’s Funeral

Fred's Funeral Cover

At this time of year, mid October, I always start to think about my great-uncle Fred who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during WWI.

Yesterday, I sent out an email (my first in a long time) in which I included some photographs of the real Fred and our family.

In thinking of the how and why I came to write Fred’s Funeral I had the impulse to share those thoughts with my readership. If you’d like to join the list, please do. I love the back and forth that always results when I send an email.

Looking forward to our correspondence.

Fruit Flies

I watch the winged
drown in the cider
trap

feel
a tinge
sorry

for their floating bodies
no longer flitting
annoying gnats
helicoptering the tomatoes
the pears
the compost bucket.

I rationalize that
their last moments were
at least
debauched
for flies.

Then I reflect on
the soldiers
drowning in mud
swatted from this planet
wilfully
so I might eat this fruit
in freedom.