Mourning # 26

Mourning # 26

 

Winter weeds are taking control

of the territory around the dormant

flowers, but I can’t be bothered.

I lost my father yesterday, and I can’t

cry. When I was young he made me

cry a lot, but now I’m numb, stunned.

I got a call from the hospital admin-

istration asking for disposition, if I

had already made arrangements.

They wanted to release the corpse.

It’s raining so hard outside right now.

Two million people died before old Dad,

but they were only data. Now the virus

is solid. Like it’s always been solid to

the doctors and nurses. I could go

to the hospital, but I can’t see him

anyway. And it’s still raining.

 

---- Gary Young, customer service rep-

resentative for Lowe’s Hardware from Gilroy 

California, famous for the annual Garlic 

Festival, died of Covid-19 on March 17, 

2020. He was 66.

Gary was a talker, he loved to chat with

everyone, he loved to make people laugh

by telling jokes, everyone in town knew and

liked Gary because he was so garrulous.

The wait staff in restaurants where he ate

remembered him by name. The customers

at Lowe’s always got a friendly chat with

Gary Young. He engaged; he made connections;

he created human networks. We need that.

Gary seemed too young and too exuberant 

to die. Now everyone who ever knew him feels his

loss.