Prose Poem: Muriel Karr

Consider This a Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a woman who had a problem. Her mother had died some years before, but she had been unable to bury her mother's body anywhere. Now she was determined to find a way to bury her mother.

As a result, she had a struggle. The sheriff said no, you cannot bury her in your yard. The cemetery said no, you are too late, it's against the rules. She couldn't find a mausoleum or a crypt. Even ashes wouldn't do.

So in the end, she ate her mother's body as the food she needed in order to continue - slim as a reed waving in the sweet summer wind on solstice eve.