We can’t place her
to rest in the forest,
as was her last wish.
Evidently, ashes
buried or scattered
are considered
by agency regulations
to be a final form
of illicit squatting,
to violate a rule
that states remains
of a deceased “creates
permanent occupancy”
of a specific place,
which is not allowed;
further, the remnants
once given back
to the gentle earth
fall oh so softly
into the category
of “perpetual use,”
thus not passing
criteria, due to being
“incompatible
with the purposes
for which the land
is managed.” So,
the legal issue is
clearly settled
but not her soul.