Laugh Out Loud
Words declared with such sincerity
Prompted an urgent need in me
To laugh out loud.
I had to cover my mouth
And suppress that first reaction
For the sake of propriety.
It was not my place
To interrupt a solemn occasion
That did not allow for quips
Or any sign of frivolity.
So I hid my giggles
Behind a mask of somber dignity.
But he would have enjoyed the laugh,
Appreciated the irony of life everlasting
While admiring the mortician’s skill.
Once a long time ago
I took my fingers and pressed them
To my father’s waxen cheeks
To bring a smile where a stern frown had been molded,
So unlike the face I knew.
I had to make things right.
He would have thought
That was appropriate.
Now, with all the mourners
Casting off their veils and frowns
Standing on the pews to shout
“Ein, zwei, drei, gsuffa!”
Then a hearty “prosit!!”.
We all laughed out loud
And made it right.