Marion, Jan and Rose and Mark--you set the bar high.

Alkan

Here lies a pianist so crushed
by learning that his work was hushed.
Felled by a bookcase in his prime
the victim beat his proper time.
Alkan, though curious, expired
beneath the wisdom he’d acquired.


Isadora Duncan

Isadora died maintaining
elegance without complaining.
Throttled by a scarf she guessed
her final gesture was well dressed.

(mine)

I am so cross now that I'm dead.
I haven't heard what people said.

[This message has been edited by Janet Kenny (edited November 22, 2006).]

We strew Frank's ashes on the bay today; don't weep.
At last, he's breezy, with a touch of grey - and deep.

The flowers bloom, then turn to seed;
The hands move slowly 'round the dial.
I should have brought a book to read—
It seems I'll be here for a while.

Here lies Cat.
And that's that.

Beneath this stone my mortal clay
lies still and cold within a box.
I'll miss the joys of life, but hey--
Better here than watching FOX.

I'll write my own self-mocking epitaph,
and rest assured I've had the final laugh.


[This message has been edited by Michael Cantor (edited November 22, 2006).]

Here lies Johnny Murphy
who was always laid back
he smoked marijuana
cocaine and crack.
He lies in this graveyard
alas and alack
a stone at his head
saying;Keep off the Grass.

Dearly Departed

I.
He liked to say he'd tried his best.
I hope his soul has earned its rest,
for while he tried a lot of stuff,
his best just wasn't good enough.

II.
He always got the final word.
A pity that he never heard
the warning shout before the blow--
he was too busy talking. So,
now that he's silently interred,
his tombstone reads, "Look out below!"

III.
God forgive your departed servant,
condescending, snide, and arrogant.
God help the rest of us that we might
forgive him the sin of being right.

IV.
She had the most exhaustive store
of where she'd been and what she knew.
On any subject she understood more--
she'd been there, done that ahead of you.
I imagine she's been to Hell before
and is telling Lucifer what to do.

Carol Taylor

"Loud enough to wake the dead,"
.... they say. Now that I'm gone,
if you can find a noise like that,
.... I beg you, bring it on!