Have you ever seen a dead owl
If ever they do die, they ensconce themselves in the tree
Part of the tree
Have you ever seen a dead crocodile
If ever they do perish, the river washes them away
Part of the river
But every single one of us
Has seen a dead human
In movies, funerals, or worse
We know what that looks like
The cold detachment permeating
What was once a holy vessel
Don't flinch
Look closely
You won't see it
You won't see it because there's nothing there
Just vacant space
Where does the dead human go, if not back to the dirt
Heavenward or hellbound
Screaming into the serrated future, or
Reeling into the ragged past
Reincarnated as a sixteenth-century prostitute, or a cockroach
Or Attila the Hun
Or most terrifying
Simply nowhere at all
A void without even so much as a howl to keep company
The owl and the crocodile
Seem to know the trick
Dust to dust, surely
Or, stretching far beyond
Perhaps better yet
Dust to stardust
Riding high in the cosmos, lassoing meteors for sport
Giggling and drinking peppermint tea
Who's to say the dream doesn't get better
When we finally wake up
Part of the dream