You’d think death would be late for lessons,

But it seems to be the perfect time,

For the living,

And the left behind.

It runs in my head on a constant loop,

All the things I should have said and done.

I cannot forgive myself,

And I cannot move on.

Maybe one day when I die,

I’ll finally be back by your side,

Just know each time I think of you,

I can’t help but to cry.

I knew better,

I was selfi...

Right now you are living

And that living is enough.

Yes, now you are living

And that living can be tough

On even the best of us.

You might cry every day

And breathe through your nights

But today is the day

That brings those gentle lights

To meet your open eye.

This evening you are happy

And the world goes on spinning

But you are here, happy

And clouds are thinning

As the phone is ringing.

They d...

“Oh my, it’s time, my dear.”

“Please, Reaper, I don’t want to go!

Not yet, oh please, please, sir!”

“It’s time to go.”

Death knows no specific date,

Nor time, nor hour—

Life is fragile,

It wavers and falters at every turn.

Live your life until the Reaper calls,

Explore the world,

Touch the grass and the trees,

Play with the animals,

Taste, smell, hear, see as much as you can.

Make loved ones al...

There’s a joke that ends with — huh?

It’s the bomb saying here is your father.

Now here is your father inside

your lungs. Look how lighter

the earth is — afterward.

To even write father

is to carve a portion of the day

out of a bomb-bright page.

There’s enough light to drown in

but never enough to enter the bones

& stay. Don’t stay here, he said, my boy

broken by the name...

On the lee slope of the small coastal mountain

which conceals the sun the first hour after its rising,

in the dry, steep ravines, the live

mist of the heat is seething like dust

left over from an earlier world.

A crow with a swimmer's shoulders works

the air. And a little bird flies up into a

tree and closes its wings, like a blossom

folded up into a bud again.

In the distance is a very o...

Do not be bitter when I come for you,

For I must come like a cold December wind,

Dreaded, as is a winter’s day,

Nevertheless, I must descend.

Think not of me as malice, a thief in the night,

But as the hand that gathers fallen leaves,

Homecoming, a soldiers final fight.

A promise kept, a bittersweet release.

Though shadows lengthen with each step I take,

And fear May whisper tales of endless ...

I don’t have that much to say, so do not see me in this way.

I only have a list for you, I hope you’ll find it useful, too.

Read carefully, and please do heed these words that I give, indeed.

For all you need to know to rest is some words of advice from your friend, Death.

1. Think of me often. No, I’m not kidding, think of your coffin.

If you do, you’ll daily remember that January is a blink fr...

1. Don’t confide in her

She’ll just explode

2. Don’t hug her

She’ll feel embarrassed

3. Don’t express love

It’ll make her sad

4. Don’t cry

It’ll make her powerful

5. Don’t feel

It’ll make her uncomfortable

6. Don’t love

Even though you’re together

It’s too much feeling

7. Don’t express disliking

It’ll make her mad

Life lessons from someone who died for you

I loved you

I lived for you

And...

I've seen more lives than you could fathom

The immortal life of a stygian phantom

I've seen the strongest of man crumble,

And only I could make them humble.

I've seen the broken learn to survive,

Just to die before they thrive

Good or bad when your time has come,

Ill be there when you succumb.

I am not in the pursuit of life,

Nor to rid the world of strife.

My only job to steal your breath,

creat...

Desiccated husks

In soaking soil

Anemic leaves heave pitifully

Tucked in dim corners

Lifting yellowing branches to the light

I check for sticky puffs of pests

Dipping my index from pot to pot

I move from desert to tropics

I learn from the losing

The roots rotted and

The pots that slip from my hands

Flaccid stems, exhausted leaves sleep on willing soil

Over sunburnt leaves

I learn about sur...