when i was working in a mortuary
the most emotional moment
for me wasn’t during the funeral service
the toil in the prep room
as a body was embalmed
or when meeting with the family
it was the drive to the cemetery
when no one else was looking
behind the wheel of a hearse
second
in the purple flagged funeral procession
behind a police escort
mourner filled limousine right behind
a casket adorned with flowers
just past the velvet curtain
in my rear view mirror
keenly aware
nothing is trivial