Chinese Funerals as Theatre – by Xin Lee

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Five days have felt like forever,

which is how long a widow could spend

folding a kingdom of joss papers.

Yesterday we burned my father a mansion,

a Mercedes, an iPhone, and charger.

Today, three monks in a funeral parlour,

three prayers for a non-believer,

and a mockery of the Chinese vernacular.

Tomorrow, there will remain only a son,

his mother, and one half of her daughter.

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Image: Suki Lee

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