Michael Griffith
Held
(1970)
In the casket, Pappy's big hands are unnatural.
They shouldn't sit that way, there, clean and pretty,
on top that button-up vest. (He never once wore a vest,
not even in that old brown wedding photo where
he and Grammy don't look happy and don't look old
and look like they're holding their breath, where
they're holding hands like kids practicing.)
Bio
I began writing poetry during a long illness. I teach at both Mercer County and Raritan Valley Community Colleges in central NJ.