As frail hinges pivot on a case's door Commemorative souvenirs from places Containers change with each occasion Cellophane-encased display of paper certificate To credit years of service A tool of central enterprises The only hope for permanence The words, the rings, consistency And Social Security The miracle's high tragedy A thought mistaken for a memory Clear the dust from smiles in boxes Pass a patterned wall Recall the voices Local posts will list your friends In order of disappearance Lawn-scattered tins feed birds The portion baked for absent guests And the Mass, it is an icon God sent comfort, your salvation But who grants absolution For sins that never were committed Tension makes a tangle of Each thought becomes inconvenience Sound doesn't ever penetrate As servile edges break and feint A thought mistaken for a memory Dress lengths, assassinations Fractured family ties and christening And christening Christening Christening Christening