Then shortly Qasim's corpse with gentle grace
Is laid upon the platform that will brace
The body while the rites are carried out,
Which will absolve the faithful of all doubt
That Qasim's burial might not fulfill
Their obligations. Though the family still
Are saddened by the killing of their kin,
They dry their tears and relegate the din
To other times and places far removed,
For every Muslim would have disapproved
Of demonstrating any disrespect
Towards the deceased. They actively neglect
To comment on the narrow bullet hole
And exit wound that desecrate the skull.
They pack the wounds with cotton to prevent
A discharge, though his blood seems to be spent.
Then legs, arms, hands, and fingers are aligned
To point towards
Qiblah, serving to remind
Them of the holiest of all of Islam's sites,
And thus the men begin the sacred rites.
