I will teach you my townspeople
How to perform a funeral--
For you have it over a troop
Of artists--
Unless one should scour the world--
You have the ground sense necessary
See! the hearse leads
I begin with a design for a hearse
For Christ's sake not black--
Nor white either--and not polished!
Let it be weathered--like a farm wagon--
With gilt wheels (this could be
Applied fresh at small expense)
Or no wheels at all:
A rough dray to drag over the ground
Knock the gla** out!
My God--gla**, my townspeople!
For what purpose? Is it for the dead
To look out or for us to see
How well he is housed or to see
The flowers or the lack of them--
Or what?
To keep the rain and snow from him?
He will have a heavier rain soon:
Pebbles and dirt and what not
Let there be no gla**--
And no upholstery, phew!
And no little bra** rollers
And small easy wheels on the bottom--
My townspeople what are you thinking of?
A rough plain hearse then
With gilt wheels and no top at all
On this the coffin lies
By its own weight
No wreaths please--
Especially no hot house flowers
Some common memento is better
Something he prized and is known by:
His old clothes--a few books perhaps--
God knows what! You realize
How we are about these things
My townspeople--
Something will be found--anything
Even flowers if he had come to that
So much for the hearse
For heaven's sake though see to the driver!
Take off the silk hat! In fact
That's no place at all for him--
Up there unceremoniously
Dragging our friend out to his own dignity!
Bring him down--bring him down!
Low and inconspicuous! I'd not have him ride
On the wagon at all--damn him--
The undertaker's understrapper!
Let him hold the reins
And walk at the side
And inconspicuously too!
Then briefly as to yourselves:
Walk behind--as they do in France
Seventh cla**, or if you ride
Hell take curtains! Go with some show
Of inconvenience; sit openly--
To the weather as to grief
Or do you think you can shut grief in?
What--from us? We who have perhaps
Nothing to lose? Share with us
Share with us--it will be money
In your pockets
Go now
I think you are ready