IN THE THIRD COUNTRY

1
As a last defiance
you die simultaneously in three countries

In the country that exiled you
it's a simple funeral
a mummy in white
you're carted off
to the ghats of Benares
in a wheel-cart

In the presence of sadhus
for a fee or for none
Allen Ginsberg raves a mantra
in homage

You burn well on the sides
someone notices your mouth
sizzle a speech to the authorities

2
In the country you went for
your ex-wife arrives
by the next available flight
the children as usual
are at the summer camp

For want of religious clarity
you're hearsed to the public cemetery

Someone throws in
a copy of your paperback
you don't complain

Your friends in Iowa bewail you in a bar
someone reads a poem or two
someone mentions you on the telephone

3
In the third country
the wind neither wails
nor stays on your windowsill
your tea cups remain full or empty
it's one season or another
people sleep or people wake

No one wants your whereabouts
no one worries your mail

If you changed your mind
and returned there
no one wonders if it was appropriate
whether you acted hasty
or with taste