Claim Laid

This is a prayer for the dead and dying - 

and those that may never know a life on the outside

I hope your sins don’t meet you at your grave - 

grinning like a toothy menace - 

I hope there’s a twitch before they pounce

I hope your family knows it’s okay to reconcile what you’ve done

with what you mean to them 

But also okay not to - 

if it gives them peace 

I hope traffic and trains never rattle over your final resting place

to shake your bones to dust a little sooner

But most of all 

I hope sagebrush bursts through your cedarwood coffin

and Eagle carries you home to Creator 

I hope Thunderbird screams your name

and Coyote howls a lament for your spirit’s journey 

We will keep the fire burning for you 

to light your way home