yearly departed

the gray, cold rain fit in just as well with this ceremony as with the january in which it appeared. there the family — 2044 whose rose-painted cheeks stood out gainst the wintry white surroundings; 2075 with listless eyelids o’ boredom, & ol’ shivering 2024 — stood round the tombstone o’ 2023, 2044 trying to break up the savage quiet any way it could by bringing up whate’er positive things it could say ’bout 2023 & trying to forget their less savory parts, while the others said nothing.