An Open Balcony
If I die,
Leave the balcony open
To see Lorca’s boy eating oranges
A cerulean sky cut by a black raven,
An exploding red sunset.
Leave the balcony open
To hear Tchaikovsky’s First Violin Concerto,
Gaite Parisienne, The Pastoral, The Moldau
The cannon of 1812.
If I die
Leave the balcony open
To capture a chiffon breeze
The fragrance of wet pines and strong coffee.
Keep the balcony open
To all furry creatures to enter,
And a dog, any dog, to press against me,
Place his head on my chest
To breathe for me.
Carolyn Evans Campbell