THE RAVEN REVIEW
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • FAQ
  • Submit
  • Current Issue
  • Archive
    • Volume I >
      • Issue I
      • Issue II
      • Issue III
      • Issue IV
    • Volume II >
      • Issue I
      • Issue II
      • Issue III
      • Issue IV
    • Volume III >
      • Issue I
      • Issue II
      • Issue III
      • Issue IV
    • Volume IV >
      • Issue I
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • FAQ
  • Submit
  • Current Issue
  • Archive
    • Volume I >
      • Issue I
      • Issue II
      • Issue III
      • Issue IV
    • Volume II >
      • Issue I
      • Issue II
      • Issue III
      • Issue IV
    • Volume III >
      • Issue I
      • Issue II
      • Issue III
      • Issue IV
    • Volume IV >
      • Issue I

​A Funeral

by Fredric Hildebrand
In the twilight a church bell
tolls for the neighbor’s son.

Nearby a weathered shed,
a broken farmer unable
to speak of grief.

Woodsmoke, heat, glowing coals.
Hammer and tongs, and despair.

Plowshares must be repaired before spring,
a father’s anguish in each blow.

​The hammer and steel ring.

Fredric Hildebrand is a retired physician who lives and writes in Neenah, WI. His poetry has appeared in ArtAscent, Bramble, Millwork, Red Eft Review, and Verse-Virtual. When not writing or reading he plays acoustic guitar and explores the
Northwoods with his wife and two Labrador retrievers.