Poem: When I Die

Oddly enough, this was written in one of my better moods.

When I Die

Do not mark my passage with marble,
No.
Turn towards the light.

Do not hold my bones hostage
In iron and lead
Or cage my form in a chemical bath.

These atoms are not me.
Where I am going,
No body has been.

Donations can be made in my name,
I suppose,
But not to whatever killed me.

Give water to those who thirst,
Give food to those in need,
Give shelter to those who strive for warmth,
Give solace to the young who need it most.

If they have half the life I’ve led,
half the joy I’ve felt,
They will know the meaning.

Lay me to rest in some wood,
or other,
Or in a meadow of your choosing.
Let me run down to the sea,
Slowly, over a million years. Let me
Rejoin the bones of the earth.

Do not mark my passage with marble,
No.
Let me depart in mystery.