poem

 Last Requests

Do not intubate

Do not resuscitate 

Do not try to feed

Me finger to mouth

Do not leave me

Alone in the evening

Do not pretend

You see the phantoms

Dancing before me 

Do not stop for roses

On the way to visit me 

Do not visit me

Stay with me

Do not condescend me 

Or ask me if I’m thirsty 

Do not forget that death is comedy

Not tragedy

Do not forget to laugh

Because this is not a tragedy

Do not neglect to bring

My pile of unread books

From the nightstand at home 

Stack them here within 

My field of vision 

But out of my reach

Leave me at peace 

With everything 

I ran out of time

To read  

5/21/24