Has Someone Died (Memento Mori)

Last night I dreamt again of my brother He showed me the beauty of the place we had left The water sparkled in the sunlight The ground sloped precariously in front of us But he stood comfortably at the edge like an athlete or a dancer And then let go On the left I watched for him to come up On the right he still stood smiling at me brilliantly happy glorying in the beauty of the place Have you forgotten how much you loved it here He inquires How magnificent the sunlight reflects on the water The grass grows almost to the edge The water is rimmed by a dark outline of mud Our cottage is only a shack— The floor rough and slanted The walls covered with tatterred posters and faded photos When the tide is high You can hear The escaping water trickling Under the wooden floor boards We are gathered here for a family occasion We have cooked our best dishes and wear our show off duds there is plenty of wine Has someone died Provincetown, MA; Berkeley, CA