The thing about saying grace is that anyone can say them for any reason at all
I’ve learned prayers
to protect me from the dead
to chase away evil
to forgive my sins.
I’ve said grace
over meals
before journeys
before I fall asleep.
I sang those prayers
raged those prayers
obediently
past gritted teeth
through the darkness
into the next day.
So who will stand over me
after I’ve died
and ask that I sleep
forever
God let it be
forever
will they prey that I do not rise
and that I never walk again.
An interesting set of burials was found in Poland not too long ago: locks placed on toes, or scythe’s placed over the neck to keep them from wandering. Much nicer than the bricks place in the jaws, don’t you think?