immortality

By Jacob Friesenhahn

the snowy banks of the river shifted
causing the abandoned cemetery
beyond the woods to erode
coffins unearthed
bobbing to the surface
appearing oddly light
tombstones pulled away
like baby teeth
drawn into the current
the puzzle of gravestones
separated from the tombs
they once pretended to mark
skeletons floating in sleek boats
down a river not supposed to be here
stones etched with letters and numbers
like the veins of fallen leaves
slipping under the icy water
the living were unnerved
the dead could only laugh