Monday, February 17, 2020

Munchkin's Dirge




image from amazon.com


Munchkin’s Dirge

“There is a sacredness of tears. They are the
messenger of overwhelming grief, of contrition,
and of unspeakable love.”--Washington Irving.

In 1965, my sister had five children. The youngest
boy was named Marc. He died of SIDS at three 
months old. My sister’s mother-in-law blamed her for 
the death; claiming neglect. 

Funerals are rarely fun, but this one was 
heartbreaking. The white child’s coffin was so tiny,
like a pet store box for a white rabbit. Marc’s
siblings,  dressed in their starched funeral suits, 
were bored and confused. They fidgeted and 
complained. The youngest boy held on to a 
Spiderman doll. 

My sister sobbed like she was attending Christ’s
crucifixion. The minister droned on about how God
had called this cherub home early. Suddenly, I too
was sobbing uncontrollably. Time seemed to slow
down, and I found that some moments are caught
between heartbeats, moments that conjured images
of other innocent dead children from famine, war, and
abuse, moments to curse God for his shoddy
shepherding.  



Glenn Buttkus

Prosery

Posted over at dVerse Posts Pub

14 comments:

anthonynorth said...

A sad experience perfectly captured.

Kim M. Russell said...

The Washington Irving quote and your piece reminded me that most people have forgotten about the ‘sacredness of tears’, mainly because they see so many crocodile tears on television and in social media. You captured the tragedy of the child’s death in the description of the coffin, Glenn, and in the youngest boy holding on to a Spiderman doll.

Gillena Cox said...

OMG, this is profound writing, it makes me feel sooo sad

much love...

Linda Lee Lyberg said...

Such a beautiful yet sad piece Glenn. There indeed is a sacredness to tears. They are my holy water, because I feel comforted after a cry.

Gina said...

that quote has haunted me these couple of years, tears are beautiful, an expression of both sadness and joy

Merril D. Smith said...

Such a sad tale. I can't imagine the sorrow of losing a child. As others have mentioned, that quotation is perfect, too.

tonispencer said...

What a wicked evil mother-in-law to blame your sister. I hope she is burning for her meanness.

lynn__ said...

What a sad funeral for a precious little one! I think God cries with us...

Pat R said...

Very powerful! That ending sums it all up very well.

Pat

Dwight L. Roth said...

Such a sad scenario for all of you! All questions and no answers, especially for the little ones.

Jade Li said...

Unbearably painful when a little one goes.

Jane Dougherty said...

I like your assessment of the funeral service. The only sincerity is in tears. There can be no valid 'reason' or comforting 'explanation' for losing a child.

brudberg said...

Such a sad sad tale. Death is almost always sad, but a child is even sadder... maybe it's only the tears that mean anything

lillianthehomepoet.wordpress.com said...

The quotation is a powerful one.....and your write, I think, is one of your very best (although all your writes are so so good!). The last line.....the shoddy shepherding is so visceral and one I think some parents must feel when the inexplicably horiffic happens and they are overcome with anger and grief and that hole within themselves that is an emptiness that screams. This is an amazing write, Glenn. I hope hope it is fiction for you.
PS: looking forward to Buck today as I am hosting OLN.