Black Tie Quotes

“Untying the Knot
by Stewart Stafford

Remove your black tie early at funerals,
The tiniest action in enforced inertia,
Almost a pyrrhic origami of letting go,
The dark flag ritually rolled up and hidden.

Top button undone, cold air against skin,
Heavy shutters brought down on grief;
A circle of solace at ceremony’s end,
A shimmering oasis in the unbearable.

A pub post-mortem with numbing liquid,
You notice who keeps their black ties on,
Stories and jokes are told, eyes get wiped,
You sense the relief bundle in your pocket.

© 2026 Stewart Stafford. All rights reserved.”
― Stewart Stafford