Ablution of the dead,
the washing
of the body
is called ghusl
in Islam; Judaism
calls this taharah.
But how
does one bathe
an infant,
a tangle of intestines
from eyes of the witness,
or clean
coagulated collages
of massacre?
How
does one carry
charred carcasses
from beds
& not call a moment,
another grave
in the cemetery?
How
does one leave space
for ablution
of a body
inside a missile,
or rinse
blood from the city
bombs cremated?
How
does one wash this?
How
does one prepare this
for a return to God?