Romeo notations:

Romeo, sort-of uncle. French, after all. Married to cousin Edith,

eldest daughter to Antoinette (housewife) and Frank Toni.(cobbler)

A half century plus twenty years to a sum,–– has slipped by since your demise,

and yet I sense the remnant draft of Aqua Velva smearing my nostrils. 

I was curious back then of how something with such pungent density

could move outward, unencumbered, powered by nothing more

than its own mechanics.

But the smell of "Ice Blue" can freely pall an otherwise restricted space.

I was too young at the viewing,–– your viewing, to be a sincere mourner,

and I didn’t want to get too close or cause a commotion, and besides

at ten years old, I was told not to touch anything, so the thought of sticking

my thumb through your eyelid was quickly dismissed.

Behind me people were murmuring, some were chatting aloud, others

were seen back-peddling to the front porch as if no one would notice,

taking advantage of an always open invitation to light-up.

As I recall, an alternative thought did occur to me, Romeo,

that I could’ve inserted an aluminum rod up your ass,

attached the rod to a base, and plop you in the showroom

window at the “Cherry & Webb” department store downtown.

Who’d’ve known?–– Well, that cheap polyester suit might've been

a dead giveaway at the hoity-toity C & W, I guess, but

well, Romeo, uncle, sort-of. French, after all.–– It was then decided while

standing close to the undertaker's clever tongue-in-cheek interpretation of you,

that I get myself cremated, because

I can’t trust anybody left living to spruce me up to the standards

necessary to meet the requirements I've set to my satisfaction as

I slide-on-down the river of no return... 

fini