Today the chaff begins
its skyward drift
as she sifts through

a lifetime of photos
that become a few moments’
montage at his funeral.

This is the widow’s work:
constructing a mythic man
from his finest qualities

and most handsome profiles,
gilded with every scrap
of accomplishment.

He is the better version
she will recall
all her remaining days,

a polished monument
she can visit
without regrets.

– Kathy Lohrum Cotton