Can You Spot the Difference?

All dead people look the same. That’s not to say that all dead people are the same, or that all people die the same way, but they do all look the same. Every man or woman I’ve seen lying in a coffin has looked like a really pale person sleeping. What’s never the same however, is what each person does in death. What do I mean? For example, what they’re buried with. My grandfather was buried with a picture of the family. Other people are buried with jewels or in their favorite clothes. Or maybe a Wolverine comic, like my friend Jeff.

I found out Jeff died last Sunday, after I had seen “Iron Man.” It’s almost a perfect set-up—movie-like even. I couldn’t have written the irony if I tried. When Jeff and my brother were roommates, I would come over and Jeff and I would talk comics. And movies. And comic movies. And music…

Before you start to feel bad for me, you should know that Jeff and I weren’t close friends. He and my brother were, so I’ve got that angle. Jeff would also call me sometimes, or come over to my place so we could discuss music. We were both in bands. We’d try to trade shows, although he was much better at this than I was.

That’s another thing in Jeff’s coffin. His band was called Shell Shock, and he’s got a Shell Shock t-shirt with him. He was pretty passionate about his music. He was passionate about my music too. That’s why I care so much about him. Not because he was a fan, but because he was passionate.

I wasn’t the only one who thought so. That’s another difference about dead people: the people who come to pay their respects. What does it take to bring a grown, large, tattooed man to tears? Do I even need to say it?

I suppose there are a lot of differences between dead people. How they die might effect how they look; Religious statutes might dictate what one can be buried in; Unfortunately money might dictate certain aspects. There are a million differences we could probably come up with. There’s one glaring difference however that’s completely staring me in the face with Jeff’s death. When death comes a callin’, well, for some people it’s just their time. But others, conversely, are taken too soon. Jeff was taken too soon. That’s one hell of a difference.