People My Age - Oct. 9, 2023

we like to comb the obituaries like shells on the beach it’s where the dead wash up each carrying the script of a life

in their cracks and curves

I pick up the ones that intrigue me

usually the really old and really

young most beautiful for their

interestingly shaped stories

and how some were good at fighting

the pull of tides while others

got caught in the push

and unexpectedly

crossed the boundary

of ocean and sand

I read them because I wonder ​​​​​​​

does death have something to do

with that always sad

full moon?