When you are dying
people hope you will be profound.
“What would you do differently?” they ask.
and you, no longer able to swallow solid food, say,
“Eat more steak.”
Of course, that's not all—
but you don’t just go around saying it.
You’ve still got happenings and annoyances—
gigantified, perhaps.
Stuff still hurts—just extra,
and you’ve got an awful lot on your mind,
and it’s one long goodbye,
(when even short ones are wearing), so
you don’t feel like being profound.
Besides, you wouldn’t have died of a heart attack, after all,
If you’d eaten more steak.
Really, what do you have,
What do any of us have,
in the end,except
gigantic grace?
The same grace that helps us
to say “I love you,”
and to surmount another lay-off,
And to pray against nightmares,
And sometimes,
To eat steak.
***
people hope you will be profound.
“What would you do differently?” they ask.
and you, no longer able to swallow solid food, say,
“Eat more steak.”
Of course, that's not all—
but you don’t just go around saying it.
You’ve still got happenings and annoyances—
gigantified, perhaps.
Stuff still hurts—just extra,
and you’ve got an awful lot on your mind,
and it’s one long goodbye,
(when even short ones are wearing), so
you don’t feel like being profound.
Besides, you wouldn’t have died of a heart attack, after all,
If you’d eaten more steak.
Really, what do you have,
What do any of us have,
in the end,except
gigantic grace?
The same grace that helps us
to say “I love you,”
and to surmount another lay-off,
And to pray against nightmares,
And sometimes,
To eat steak.
***
I love this!
ReplyDeleteBeing in the long goodbye, I really appreciate your understanding. but it is not only those who ask who would like some profundity, we, too, would like to be able to offer it; but it is in short supply - at least no more readily available than any time in the past.
ReplyDelete