Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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Dealing With Death. Death is a life phenomenon which all creatures face cognizantly or not. Of course there are those that recognize this new state. It is well known that elephants clearly react to death By touching with their collective trunks, reaching out. Even later encounters with the decomposed body Elicit fondling the now cleaned bones. Mother porpoises are known to 'carry' their deceased offspring For many days or weeks; one female did so for up to 100 days. Mother chimps and bonobos hold dead infants for days. These two groups are known to touch, attempt play, And gaze deeply into the eyes of a passed companion. Humans deal culturally differently, but profoundly with their dead. The Irish have wakes and Hispanics often gather in a parlour. There is some good archeological evidence that Neanderthals Had some sort of recognition of death. From so long ago, it is often difficult to discern actual fact, But revealed hyena and raven tarsals near an infant's disinterned body, Or an isolated lithic near an adult's corpse, Finding no other similar lithic at all nearby, Indicate that there must have been some thought applied. We will never know whether there was singing, or other vocalizations, Or if possibly, even tears were shed for a downed comrad. But judging from chimp and bonobo behavior around their dead, And, of course, knowing our own feelings and behavior, It is quite certain our kindred Neanderthal went through Much the same agony and heartache. Nearing that life stage, I myself, as many, Premeditate my own demise with wonder and trepidation. EPILOGUE {It is clear that as with most hominin groups, Cannibalism is a practice sometimes evidenced among them. Among Neanderthal butchered bones, tool cut marks are evidenced On both remains of animals, as well as on their own kind. There is much contemplation as to reasons for this. Dealing with their trauma might have included the depositing of bodies, Taking them apart and reconstituting the raw components Back to life with consumption, bones used as tools, or by marking them. Cut marks on the face and skull may indicate the recognition of another. Was the common practice of taking apart hunted carcasses, Transposed into a grieving process involving familiar butchery, Including cannibalism, as acts of intimacy and not violation? Catholics in Western society have special relics for viewing, And even more, in Eucharist, bread and wine are Consumed as the body of Jesus, inside the mouths of the faithful ! They say this is not about death, but life. Perhaps this was also true for Neanderthals.} Frank Maurer 7 April 2025 1435 Hours.