The Accidental Coffin Maker

It's summer and that means more weekends spent up north at the cabin. The mosquito population is on the wane, though not as much as we would like, and the warm days mean more people on the lake, making for a livelier time. But lest I forget the permanent residents, below is a reminder of the characters that make up the year 'round population.



The Accidental Coffin Maker


The northwoods whiskey-swilling
carpenter builds wicked-good cabinets
when not nursing a grudge
or in the thick of a bar-provoked fight
over some perceived slight.

His neighbor wedded to a woman
with Alzheimer's looks beyond the bluster.
Commissions a handcrafted box, cross
planed on the lid, sized to sit on a dresser,
contain a bag of ashes.
Knows it will be polished with care.

Somehow, word will leak out,
and woe to the local who snickers.



Marilyn Aschoff Mellor