<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A Good Day to Die </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> <i>For Deb</i></span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Thick puffy grey clouds slowly lift,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> revealing greening mountains</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> on this fresh autumn morning</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Yet there will be no sun today.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There will be the song of wind and rain,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> the dance of dark birds floating</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> on the currents of cool air</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Yesterday was a good day to die.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">For a woman who was ready to surrender</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> a body that could no longer carry her </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> without pain</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> without intense suffering--</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> knowing she could never be her strong self</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> ever again</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">a deep knowing in the marrow of her bones</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> and each contraction of her open heart</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> that she would die soon</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">one way </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">or the other</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The one way</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> being on a gurney in an emergency room</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> bleeding and cramping</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> then being rushed down a long </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> foul-smelling hallway</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> by people who did not know her</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> or care about her comfort</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">to a scanner</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> where she would lie flat on a cold hard conveyor belt</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> as she was slowly slid under a machine </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> that would tell her what she already knew:</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> her tumors were everywhere</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> and she would die soon.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">People would suggest pain medication.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No one would suggest miracles.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The other way:</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">being in her own artful home</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">in her own soft and familiar bed</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">in her own potent energy field</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> surrounded by those who cared deeply</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> surrounded by soft music</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> and candlelight</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Held in love</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Dying</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> by her own hand</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> as she tilted the clear glass</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> filled with bittersweet orange liquid</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> and drank down </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> the nectar of gods and goddesses</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> (tho she was hesitant to believe in any of them)</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Eyes wide open</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> still sparkling as they did throughout her life</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> her wisdom still palpable </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> she looked around </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> and said,</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> “I’m going now”</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">as she peacefully and quietly</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">closed her bright eyes</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">donned her new wings</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">and flew home</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">leaving a shining rainbow around the sun</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">in her wake</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Redwing Keyssar</span></div></body></html>