Dead is Better

by Anne Kopec

When someone dies
There's nothing else
You can do about it.
They lay there
In the coffin
Heart not beating
No hint of a breath
To be seen.
You have the
Temptation,
The strong urge
To bring them back.
You want to see
Their glazed eyes
Become the bright blue
They once were.
Their stiff muscles
Become full again
With lively movements.
All of that,
However,
Always comes with a price.
A debt to pay
For returning their
Once dead soul
Back into the realm
Of humankind.
Maybe they'll be
Psychotic.
Full of a
Sudden desire
To kill.
To take life
As someone
Or something
Did to them.
Maybe they'll be
Different.
Unlike the person
They once were.
Once kindly
Now callous.
Love can be strong
But death
And the consequences
Are much stronger.
Maybe it's safe to say
That, sometimes,
Dead is better.

(Quote originally from Pet Sematary)