Bless our Bones

by

Sam Loschiavo

There it was in the obituary listings: "The body has been cremated. The urn will be open for viewing from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m at the Fleecem Funeral Home". Having known the person who died, I felt an obligation to pay my last respects, and since I could not attend the funeral service I should at least go to the viewing. Besides, I was a bit curious about viewing an open urn.

When I entered the funeral chapel there were already several people in attendance. I sat near the front for a few moments of quiet reflection. In the centre aisle was a low pedestal upon which stood a beautiful urn of polished brass surrounded by an array of various coloured flowers. The lid lay beside the urn. Inside rested the ashes of the recently departed. In the pew ahead of me were two ladies who were even closer to the urn than I was. They were speaking to each other in whispers but I couldn't help but overhear them. From the gist of their conversation, I gathered that they had known the deceased very well. I heard the first lady say:

"My, he looks so well, doesn't he?"

"Yes, dear. He looks better now than when he was alive. The crematorium has done a wonderful job. So often the ashes contain large splinters of bone and even entire dental plates..."

"Yes," replied the first lady. "It all depends on how well they sift the ashes. In this case it is obvious that an artist has been at work. The ashes are so fine and uniform in size and appearance."

The second lady suddenly exclaimed, "Say, speaking of dental plates and fine ashes reminds me that he had at least three gold crowns."

"That settles it," spoke her companion. "I shall instruct my family to make sure to have my gold crowns removed before my remains are delivered to the funeral home. I have five of them."