Funereal

by Michael Dylan Welch

First published in Prune Juice #48, April 2026, page 53. Originally written in January of 2026.

your song

on the radio—

plum blossoms

the sun rising

on an empty garden

guitar arpeggio . . .

sorry seems to be

the hardest word

still waiting

by the church door—

a candle in the wind

slow chorus . . .

I’ve seen that movie too

funeral for a friend—

a black hearse turns

over cherry petals