Obituary with Cheers

Come on, let’s celebrate
everyone’s invited
the innocent
all the victims
those who cry out at night
and dream by day
and bear the burden of their bodies
and harbor ghosts
and walk barefoot
and blaspheme and burn
the frozen poor
those who love someone
and never forget
come on, let’s celebrate
everyone’s invited
the villain is dead
the fiend is gone
the rotten thief
he’s gone for good
hurray
everyone’s invited
come on, it’s time to celebrate
not to say
that death wipes the slate clean
purifies everything
on any given day
death erases nothing
we’ve still got scars
hurray
the scoundrel is dead
it’s time to celebrate
not to grieve out of habit
let his counterparts do the weeping
and waste their tears
the monstrous magnate is gone
he’s gone for good
it’s time to celebrate
not to tone it down
remember, not just anyone has died
it’s time to celebrate
not to soften up
don’t forget this dead man
was a real S.O.B.

MARIO BENEDETTI is a poet living in Uruguay.

Translation by Louise Popkin.