His hand bones were wrapped in linen bags
made by children from King Richard III school
and laid in a lead coffin surrounded by oak.
A layer of concrete to support
the Kilkenny marble plinth and tombstone
of Swaledale fossil stone
dotted with coal, a dash of amber
and two unfossilised shark’s teeth.
The three hundred and fifty piece
pietra dura shield included
lapis lazuli from Afghanistan,
Tuscan yellow and white chalcedony,
brown English Ashburton marble
and Duke’s Red stone specifically ordered
from a limited source at Chatsworth.
Six lions each with a nineteen piece
mosaic for their heads.
Sunlight on the minimal cross
leaves the shadow of a sword.
Emma Lee’s recent poetry collection is “Ghosts in the Desert” (IDP, 2015). She co-edited “Over Land Over Sea: poems for those seeking refuge” (Five Leaves, 2015) and “Welcome to Leicester” (Dahlia Publishing, 2016). She reviews for The High Window Journal, The Journal, London Grip, Sabotage Reviews and blogs here
