May 2, 1999
Dear Naima,
This is just to let you know that you are owed these words.
These words flowed from my jotting pen the day of your son, Barry’s funeral:
Barry’s Wake: Barry’s Dead in Adam.
A 90 plus white-haired woman–angel dust
Henneson wife’s grandmother,
92, aided by the arm as she sings solo
near casket of 30-year-old Barry.
All in all, pray for strength for the family.
With inspiration soaring, some sang from the heart
some hummed to support and filled the waiting period with tone sounds
before the speaker came.
A Rehab program Group filtered in, in casual step and urban outfits
to pay their last respects to their fallen buddy, asleep at his wake for he never awoke from his sleep last morning.
While whirly engines of fire and rescue siren alarms impede to allure the mourners from outside this funeral home at 145th street in Harlem.
But all in stride–”for someone else maybe meeting eternity right now”–Rev.
All in all pray for family’s strength.
Hymns sang by hers
in high hat pin hats
Umbrella -ing Knowingly
over shoulders of the lesser hymn knowing ones,
who don’t sing along.
Babies happy to hear hymns unaware of despair.
Women pray in Akbar Allah Akbar
arms in circles, heads bowed
while cousin Muhammad leads in muslim prayer/
hands turned up to receive full blessings.
All in all pray for family strength.
Reverend and ministers
solo artists and all churchgoers/
all in all pray for strength for the family
all pray and repeat lines endlessly.
I need some gum or sweet in my mouth
not just the lord in my mouth like the Reverend says;
“God kept you together just long enough to find out what love was all about.”
Reverend’s wife said to the survivor wife.
First Corinthians, Chap 15…
no resurrection of the dead? Few flowers very few after the red and whites heart carnation and 2 gladioli sets on floor.
Open casket.
Brother Barry is dead in Adam but he’s alive in Christ./
Rev.
Big Breath words pipe out with
yelps and yelling
like a scolding
like a tremendous dis;
‘like his words about people doing same jive tomorrow.’
the preacher is good like a vibrato King.
s strength
