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