Published May 15th, 2025
by Dan Brook
what is life, what is death
and how do we respond?
as life goes on
some people do not
too many die from Covid
heart disease, cancer, stroke
also accident, suicide, shooting
hunger, war, diabetes
so many for other reasons
but what matter the cause
in the face of great loss?
each person a full life of wonder
knowledge, experiences, love
personality, relationships, skills
condensed to a little hyphen
vast worlds unto themselves
rippling out
leaving mourners in their wake
with the loss of a person
being the loss of a world
Mary Oliver, herself dead, concludes
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
I cannot deny
just like birth
death is a major transition
yet there is no finality
physically, biologically
socially, energetically
the end of a life
is not the end of love
as we remember them
they live on in others
including us
as a member of the community of scribblers
I remember, mourn, process
through dreaming, writing, reading
Mahfouz's, Voice From the Other Side
like him and his protagonist,
I have not lost the urge to write
when will my end come,
who shall write about it,
and what will be scribbled
when I eventually slip
back into non-existence?
About the Poet
Dan Brook resides in San Francisco, California, United States.
Read the poet's biography on Dan Brook's Artist Page.
This poem is included in Poetry World #12,
published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Previously published in California Poetry Magazine:
A Special California Day
by James G. Piatt
California Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
- Visit the main Wax Poetry and Art Submissions Page to see all opportunities.
- Visit the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
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