No Epitaph Poem by Donald Alfred Davie

No moss nor mottle stains
My parents' unmarked grave;
My word on them remains
Stouter than stone, you told me.

"Martyred to words", you have thought,
Should be your epitaph;
At other times you fought
My self-reproaches down.

Though bitterly once or twice
You have reproached me with how
Everything ended in words,
We both know better now:

You understand, I shall not
If I survive you care
To raise a headstone for
You I have carved on air.