Last Will and Testament

Dump my ashes in that shoot
tumbling west out of Norcross
Pond. The best outlet on
the world I know. Then unseal
a pint of brandy, pass it around,
no glass. Lip to lip. That's
my last will and testament.

Close your eyes, no,
open them and thank
God for that world
spread out in front of you. Kneel
and plead for help to keep it
wild and green.

Parker Towle's first full-length collection of poems, This Weather Is No Womb, came out from Antrim House Books in 2007.  He is an associate editor at The Worcester Review where he has done special issues on the poets Frank O'Hara and Stanley Kunitz.

He retired from neurological practice in April, 2011.