Written By
Poet and Photographer J H Martin @ A Coat for a Monkey
တန်ခူး
January –
Your public ward
Your gone
But not forgotten figure
Lying amongst
The bodies sitting
The bodies standing
The bodies everywhere
No way to live
No way to die
Not slowly
And with assistance
But with violence and alone
Eyes rolling
Torso convulsing
With only a filthy mask
And tank beside you
Gadaw ga
Like the stain covered walls
Like the bedpan littered floor
Like your crowded
Public crematorium
Buses
Mourners
Monks chanting
Your dead carried on our shoulders
Yes
With your corpse undressed
And your brand new shirt returned
January –
You are my orphaned brother
Sister and katong
January –
“You remind me of my parents”
Image and text © J H Martin
J H’s Previous Contributions To Edge Of Humanity Magazine