I Have No Fear of Death
For the purpose of context: I was born with congenital heart disease, so I've long ago come to terms with my own mortality. Death does not scare me, and I'm forever grateful for each day I have. This piece is art considering the ache that comes after a break-up, it is not a suicide note, or an intention. :-)
I have no fear of death;
The welcome arms of darkness
Will be a reprieve from the
Waking death I am living.
The vast hollow of death
Will swallow the wounds
Each heart carries in their
Silent places, alone:
The hopes unfulfilled,
The dreams shattered by time,
The loves never returned
Nor prayers answered.
I'll pay my dues to death
In bonds of possibility;
Whatever golden days which
Might have been are my tender,
And though the price is high,
It's only a one-time payment.
Death's greedy hand is ripe
In the futures market.
So I have no fear of death.
I'll walk gladly into that
Long good-night of his,
And be finally at peace.
Randall Eckstein
Mon 30th Jan 2017 14:00
Thank you, Gideon and Old Shoes.
I suppose that poetry did help me a bit, but more as a release valve for the stresses of the time...
The feelings came on me creepingly, and then all at once. As a kid, I didn't really even expect to live past 35, then about 7 years ago, I faced a bunch of very serious, personal issues all at once. I realized then that I was okay with the due date being stamped in the cover of the book; and if I was a little late returning the book to the library, I was okay with that, too. Now I'm sitting here, on the edge of 40, and I feel great about my family, my health, and my life, but when the time comes, I've already made my peace with that.