Nobody is lonelier than death
dwelling among the living
watching them tell truths and myths,
listening to their laughter and tears,
because speaking is life taking.
Nobody is lonelier than death
talked about but cannot respond
swore at and cursed upon
with hate, anger, and sorrow,
unless it’s time to push the daisies up.
Nobody is lonelier than death
lacking choices to give the demising:
the one who suffered then and now,
the one whose life serves others,
no euphemism shall save from expiry.
Nobody is lonelier than death
whose duty fulfils lifeless orders
whether suffering or not,
whether young or old,
they must go to meet the maker.
Nobody is lonelier than death.
*I wrote this poem envisioning death as a person, living among us but not allowed to interact unless it was time to take a life. From this perspective, we might fear death less and have the courage to say, “You are not alone. I accept you and your duty.”
**First published on Lit Up