Ghost

When I die
I hope they forget the formaldehyde
I hope my coffin decomposes
And my body swells ten times its size
Let my guts sag and twist
subways for crawling things
let mycelia anchor into my brain
hyphae networks, powered by rot

I hope there’s a flood
And my body pushes through the earth
lying there
broken and contorted

I hope bird pluck out my eyes
and bring them all over the world
I want to see the places
My life kept from me

Let your wings guide us
You damned birds

I hope my body is carried to the river
and I sail along with the fish
my scaley friends will tear me apart
and bring pieces of me
to strange new tributaries and channels
and I will feel the fresh water turn salty
over me
as I’m sent to the ocean

I hope one day my skeleton rises
Flung from the bottom by some squid
And return me to dry land
I hope my bones erode and scatter
And become fertilizer
I hope I grow beautiful things
Like trees and flowers
And I hope they are seen

***

Andrew D Hulse grew up in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he spent his childhood listening to punk and metal and seeking out youthful shenanigans. He became a prolific grocery clerk before moving on to the world of construction. His work frequently explores mental illness, mortality, and religious themes, and seeks to find beauty and meaning in a world that can often appear cruel, ugly, and meaningless. Andrew lives with a very, very nice cat.