A Grave Man 
by Ian McCarthy - Kelley '17

I wake up to find that I’m stuck in a box
Unfettered by chains or shackles or locks
 I try as I'm apt
 To get out, but am trapped
Under six feet of earth, worms, and rocks

I could punch through the lid like they do on TV,
But could I break through, or ‘d my knuckles just bleed
  And if it broke, the ground would fall down
  As dirt filled the coffin, I’d like as not drown
From my ironic trap I’m ironically freed
 
I want to scream for help but then I
Know my premature grave will muffle my cry
  I don’t know how much air I have left
  Need to save some for my last breath
If I want to get out of this coffin alive
 
It seems my only option is to lie and wait
For someone to save me from this helpless state
 Will anyone come and if they do
 Will they notice this false grave is new?
And could anyone see that it's boarder’s awake?

As time passes by I try to sleep but cannot
Because my last forty winks weigh down on thoughts
 It quickly becomes unbearable
 To think there won’t be an unburial
And that in this fitting place my body shall rot

With my last breath I’ll scream and shout
The final tale that I now know is about
  Naught but noise and rage
  Like a poor player on the stage
And then my brief candle’s snuffed out