Report of my death

One of my quirks is to google names of some people I know, including myself. When I checked the e-mail this afternoon, I gulped when I read this:

Larry Lorenz Death Notice Larry Lorenz's Obituary by the Grand ...
Online death notice for Larry Lorenz. Read Larry Lorenz's life story, offer tributes/condolences, send flowers or create a Larry Lorenz online memorial.

And after I gulped, I pulled this little ditty out from deep in my files:


The New Suit

I have come from the store with a navy blue suit,
a red four-in-hand and a starched white shirt,
and black shoes so polished that they will catch
the sparkle of a ballroom chandelier
and the twinkle of candlelight in a dark restaurant.
And I shall wear them all for events of passage,
christenings and weddings and funerals—
perhaps even my own, on that morning
when grinning death appears from my closet,
as formal as a well-practiced butler,
and invites me to slip on the coat.


When I read the obit, I realized the stiff was an imposter. It isn't time for the coat quite yet.

Whew!