The Way I’d Like to Die

When my folk penned the lines

“The way I’d like to die”

Short but as a hero

With gold amass, laid dead on them

Then I posted to myself how I’d like to die

And my heart pondered a whit

I’d like to live wealthy, abound

Enough to acquire my desires without a sigh,

For that makes life easier.

I’d like it long and old

Telling tales of yesteryears to my grands,

For nothing more refreshing than that.

I’d like it calm and tranquil

With faces of loved ones to gaze at,

Without them, life is a misery.

I’d like to live on, ages ahead

In the minds of men, both acquaintance and aliens

With my footprint seen on the Niger

For that’s the greatest achievement ever.

I know no death bad, for none which is good

But I fair not as a dog on the road

Neither like a prey to a predator

Yet when at last death did me seek

I’d like it gentle and fast

Peaceful, with little regret behind

Then I’d have the rest I crave

Only then would death be a release