Say One Hail Mary
for the boys of the war
in perfect formation
acres and acres of them
still lifes of lives lost
My lovely young men.
Say One Hail Mary
for my father
in similar repose
But even his life,
untouched by early tragedy
should have been longer.
Say One Hail Mary
for me-
I stare at the graves of strangers
and wonder-
Will anyone remember me
with the fluid intensity of loss?
Hail Mary Full of Grace.
Ah, yes, the Hail Mary. At first – I thought it was the football term – throwing a Hail Mary, and I suppose it is similar in an odd sort of way. Nice repetition and then ending on the full line really makes the poem feel complete. I love this line: “with the fluid intensity of loss?” What a unique combination of words to so perfectly define a difficult emotion.