by David Veloz
Razorback Sam died in his suspenders,
in the kitchen , over a pot of black bean stew.
His daughters came in from the rain
and played hearts by the radio,
and when they got hungry, they found him in the stew.
Two coronets and a tuba played
at the funeral, and Sam's poker club
danced in the hall . They schemed
how to find his war bonds
and wondered if the crystal clown with the yellow balloons
was worth anything at all.
Mary Lee Davis stood by the coffin and drank
margueritas and Spanish gin . She put fresh lipstick on
and waited for the tears, and when no one was looking,
she dropped Sam's bowling ball in.
They drove him down to Austin in the back
of a truck and buried him by the side of the road .
That night his daughters found his will behind
the mayonnaise in the fridge, and they read it
while their steaks got cold.
It said he left his revolver to the dog, his money
to the girls, and everything else
to God knows who, and please don't let him die
without some brass rag music
and a pot of black bean stew.
