A Wasp at a Funeral

I could stand at the podium and say that Wesbrooke—my son—was a fine young man. I’d pause, look around, shed a tear. I could stand at the podium and say that my son—whom we called Brookes—was a fighter. He fought the good fight that is this cruel unrelenting life filled with endless temptations—ugh, that may be a bit much. I could stand at the podium and say that my baby—Wesbrooke—with the sun in his eyes and the future waving proudly, brought only honor to his family with his diligence, lionhearted nature, and beaming charisma. I could say all of this.

What would you say at your loved one’s funeral—or even your own for that matter? Would you cry, laugh, break, or speak? Four narrators lead four very different chapters—and proposed eulogies—in this fictional family-drama following the downfall of white, aristocratic American ideals, through the death of a blue-blooded family’s final heir.

Each chapter unfolds a new narrators’ perception on a boy’s short life based on their own intimate—often skewed—anecdotes at his funeral.

©2020 Shelby Renjifo (P)2023 Shelby Renjifo