"if it was only me, I'd take it personal."


any sensible person
wrestles
(which does not necessarily
mean fear or panic)
with death.
after all,
we all know deep down
that what the wise
both ancient and modern say
is on the money:
no death, no life.
or, as i once said myself,
“no destruction, no butterfly,
metaphorically speaking”.

a friend wrote to say
that a friend of his said,
upon being asked about death,
“if it was only me, i’d take it personal”.
not only is it very witty,
it’s damned helpful:
strength and solidarity
in the inevitable and common shared experience!
it helps to know that everyone
is in the same sinking boat,
doesn’t it?
but it’s also nice to know
that wisdom on the subject
can float everyone’s boat.
shifts one off the “if i have to go,
we’ll bloody well all go”
to “we can all get through together”.
there’s a lot of negative stuff
among human beings;
some positive stuff
is always welcome.

death: don’t take it personal.

bhoam+/120311