Before the sitcom credits begin,
and just after a character is ridiculed
for being a bit different than everyone else,
the words IN LOVING MEMORY flash on the screen
with the name of a stranger. The bite of mushroom
pizza in my mouth feels inappropriate
and I bow my head slightly
like when a hearse drives through the street
in a morning and commuters are rudely reminded
about the pointlessness of their rushing.

Carl Burkitt 2024