Since I reached puberty
Doctors spoke to me more about
tombstones rather than medicine.
They suggested something simple
like the white marble of Arlington
instead of angelic statuary.
Others suggested fire.
I think those doctors wished to destroy
the chemical footprint
they placed in my body
with copious prescriptions
that had little to no effect.
I have been dying since
four-fifty-one when I started writing this
but in tiny increments
that delay the inevitable
and provide me an opportunity
to sell one investment or another
to purchase a plane ticket to Hawaii
for some tropical sun and a chance
for you to practice your grieving all alone.
copyright © 2022 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 