Fallen hero
Always so sure of himself
in life, he had a surprise
when he died.
He hung around for a while,
reluctant to leave
all his family, friends and colleagues.
Rather looked forward to witnessing
their eulogies and outpourings of grief.
But he found that
in his detached state
not only could he hear
what people said about him
in public at his funeral, but also
in private amongst themselves.
Not only that, he could
read everyone’s thoughts,
knew their innermost secrets.
Unwelcome revelations,
casting him as chump
rather than champ.
“Well, that’s a surprise!”
he muttered, shaking his head.
“I had no idea.”
With that he faded away.
Interesting idea, especially with the title. I wonder if here and there something more concrete could be used, eg. ‘cast his relationships and career / in a new light.’ which seems a bit prosy. Really good beginning, gets the reader straight into the poem and wanting more.
Mmm… I’ll try this amendment!