In the End
I wish for peace
Inspired by this tweet from PetFurniture.
I want to meet death in the middle.
I want to throw the door open wide and say with a smile,
That it has been a long time coming,
and I am ready.
And say it with mild amusement,
as if it were all a joke between friends.
I want to close the door behind me,
leaving the room clean and tidy.
With no trace that I have stepped lightly from one side to the next.
I hope he has my grandfather's face,
and a worn, blue checked shirt.
That he takes my hand and leaves no space between flesh and bone.
And we walk very slowly,
through the winding paths of memory to a sun-soaked home,
made of warm, rough stone,
with wild, joyful roses tumbling in the garden,
and a still, calm pond before the rusting gate.
I want to go first,
without reservation or fear,
and tap the mud from my shoes on the stoop,
delayed but not too late,
and lie on the rough carpet before the fire like a child.
I hope I can see the bees through the window,
and smell ginger in the kitchen.
I hope it is peaceful.
Like the last hours of a party when the bar is closing down.
Like being carried sleeping from the car.
Like floating in a warm bath with a towel just in reach.
I want to meet death in the middle,
and hold him close like a friend.
And I hope he lingers as I settle,
that he steps in and breaks bread
with the never-ending line of family and friends.
I hope that I am happy when my road comes to an end.
About the Creator
S. A. Crawford
Writer, reader, life-long student - being brave and finally taking the plunge by publishing some articles and fiction pieces.
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Comments (21)
I like this.
Truly first rate, inspiring acceptance of the inevitable. Belated congrats on Top Story!
This is absolutely beautifully written! Everything I'd say has already been said by others, except that I want a copy of this!
Beautiful poem!!
I love it.death in the middle were out of agonies.preparedness.Turning possitively what we all thought about death.. While I reading this i feel like Im imagining how it is happening..its beyond the word how you convey your word to us..Its literally WOW
Absolutely beautiful.
Congratulations on achieving top story status!
I search for words to describe how beautiful this poem is!.Not a hint of fear. No resistance, as we humans often display in the presence or approaching of death, either our own or that of a loved one. It reminds me of Emily Dickinson's poem about immortality...'because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me' Emily's poem feels like a quiet acceptance, but yours goes further with a reverent but joyous and even playful tone. I 💕love it!
nice
That tweet is beautiful and your poem is even more so! Love this sentiment and thought! It's just...yeah...everyone below me has said things I agree with about this. I like the calmness of it all - the thought of death not being an end and not being something to fear, another part of life. Congrats on a well deserved Top Story for this one!
This is written so beautifully and I love the tweet it was inspired by too. Congrats on top story
Read the attached link, and your interpretation interests me. I hope it is quiet and funny and loud and private when I go... Excellent TS!
Congratulations on your Top Story💯❤️🎊🎉
Amazing!!! Loved it!!! Congratulations on Top Story!!!❤️❤️💕
Good 👍
Yes, yes, yes! Congrats on Top Story! 🥂
Can I curse? I want to curse. This is so f---ing good! Holy hell. I'm in awe. Such simple language, but that extended metaphor is just amazing. You make me want to write like you. I am subscribing. ❤️💯👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
This is phenomenal. You've gained a new subscriber, and I'm looking forward to reading more of your work. Bravo
Snap, snap, snap! This is so beautiful and inspiring! That's the way I view death too.
Incredibly beautiful piece. Well done.
This is my favorite poem I’ve ever read on Vocal. The fact that you were so inspired by a tweet I’d likely ignore if I were even on Twitter… no offense to that person… and actually made me think about how death is gonna feel depends on how passionately I’ve lived my life… wow.
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