The bodies we loved, locked away into the earth.

Hidden from sight, stolen from the fingers that reach for them.

Preserved and condemned all at once.

All we wanted was to keep you.

With blistered hands we dug into the ground

Clawed through the dirt and stone to get to you

We bled and cried to retrieve you

But when we got to you, you were already gone.

The bodies we loved, empty beneath our feet

Shells reminding us of what once was and what will never again be

Preserved and condemned, all at once.

They sleep as we reach.