in memoriam: my celebrity crush, chadwick boseman 
by Hana Meron

how do paid mourners do it
   hoarse throats and sore eyes

their ululations of grief come from the 
   front of the throat, 

mine, achingly, clog the back. 
   losing you piece by tiny piece 

compacts the heart. stay gone next time;  
   it’d be easier to bear. 

grief is just a place black people get to call home, 
    breaking open the day, cracking the sky. 

since I don’t have any paid mourners to do it, 
   guess I better get to grieving you myself

(c) Hana Meron Poetry 2021