A chicken to pay off –
Socrates
was to die –
an afterlife will be
a chance to converse –
or take
annihilation’s endless sleep –
I
turn to Henry James & his met
new friend –
so distinguished –
not high on my list of fears
[no
longer tied down by my creep
to that equal end] –
I’ve a love
affair with Death –
that rout –
Love lifts me from fear’s denial
of growth through uncertainty
& every unknown –
I’m here
[&
now] for a time I steal from life