funeral coffee tea

funeral coffee tea

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my stepmother called
regarding the arrangement
for my dad’s funeral
she is actually my second stepmother
and she wanted to do things informally
in a manner that my dad would’ve liked
you should understand
that this stepmother
is two years
younger than I am
and that she is very very cute
well this was it
the funeral banquet
will be in the church hall
but it won’t just be
coffee tea and cookies
it would be coffee tea and
my dad’s favorite sandwich
peanut butter and bananas
what could I say?
it’s true I said
that that was his favorite sandwich
but
his favorite meal was steak and lobster
and it was a dead silence
on the other end of the phone

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Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

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