I. Prologue

Red is the color of my name, i heard it once in a dream twenty years ago, now it’s an echo throughout my body. Red wasn’t always my favorite color but only after i transformed what my last name meant to me, did it take on a new meaning. i wanted to create a myth, something that would be synonymous with me. That’s why i started wearing only the red socks, why i wear red accents & why i own a cherry red Gibson Flying V, further cementing my love for the color. i plan on being buried with all my red collectibles unless my son says otherwise & all of that is to say that…

II. At The Funeral

i hope it’s a nice day
where the weather cooperates 
maybe on a Friday
everyone should be
wearing red socks
hopefully the same kind
but i won’t hold people
to that kind of rigid request
but red socks is the only request

at my funeral
see who’s crying 
see who’s laughing
& see who’s not doing either
the ones crying
i probably owe them money
the ones laughing 
are telling an outlandish story about me
the ones who are not doing neither
ask them, “How did you know him?”

i can’t control what people say
about me, never have, never will
the stories about me are 
99% about their perspective of me
& not actually about me
& if it doesn’t include my amazingly
witty charm & beautiful hair
it’s probably not true 
because i’m not taking the credit 
for some crazy story that includes
aliens, cows & republicans 
you’ll know who to go to 
when it comes to stories about me

make sure my best friends say something
they don’t like public speaking
so put them on the spot, i know some
will be sweet & some will clown me & say 
“Oh! He had to be first! Now who’s going
to read the grand eulogy at my funeral?”
(because poets read at weddings, birthdays & funerals)

i’m sure my crew TCK will say something
but don’t let them roast me for too long 
i know some will say something ironic
about my long hair being out of style
even though most of them are bald

let my son & nephews get as much time as they want
John Pablo has already stated that he’s taking
my entire collection especially, my Akira collectibles
& my nephew Diego said he’s taking everything
i own that has to do with Seinfeld

at my funeral
i don’t want it to be a sad occasion
so i want music playing, Hendrix, The Beatles,
Bob Dylan, Prince, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd,
A Tribe Called Quest, OutKast, The Mars Volta
& Radiohead, these musicians shaped my whole life

please pick out beautiful photos of me
print them out nicely, i’ve seen some horribly
pixelated photos at some funerals, like they were
printed at a fast food convenience store
so we won’t be doing that to me unless
it’s on purpose & there’s a backstory attached to it 

at my funeral
tell me which exes & lovers show up
who’s wearing red to be scandalous 
i have a few ideas but i want to make
sure they live up to all the trash talking
they’ve been saying all these years
i hope it’s as dramatic as i imagine
i want to see the tears & hear the
screams in the afterlife
i might even come back to life
for a moment to watch the drama

know that i’ll miss you all
& i tried to be that guy for you
i failed at a lot of things 
& succeeded in more
i would change some things definitely
but then it would’ve made me
a different person & i like
who i became at the end

i’m glad, mom dukes didn’t see me transition
i know she’ll be waiting for me
she’ll be whole, no amputations
& whatever age she’ll decide to be
young, loud & beautiful, yelling at me

“POP! YOU’RE HERE! BENDITO!
IT’S OK NOW! WE’RE TOGETHER AGAIN!
WHAT DO YOU WANNA DO!”

Ma! i’m just happy to be here
i missed you so much!