I ASKED THE MAN MOWING

By JR Solonche

I asked the man mowing
the grass in the cemetery
what it was like to mow grass
in a cemetery. “Come on
over and see for yourself,”
he said. I walked through
the gate. “Just be careful
not to swipe the stones.
Families get really upset
if you chip the stones,”
he said. I mowed a little,
enough to see for myself
what it was like to mow
grass in a cemetery. “Thanks,”
I said. “So?” he said. “So,
it was sorta weird,” I said.
“Spooky, you know? Kind
of like I was giving a haircut
to the dead.” “Yeah, but you
get used to it. To me it’s just
another lawn job,” he said.
“Except for them stones. Man,
the families really get pissed
when you hit the stones.”