Smiling all around a circus of familiar faces,

drawing downward into a bliss of sweet meditation.

My love breathes me in like the taste of humidity sweater of passion dripping down his face.

Shallow waters pull me under.

Pure bliss, what a hope to be surrounded by interjecting voices and squeals waiting high on a hill.

Tumbling down to sweet warm embrace of coming home.

Death, I feared.

Not anymore.

Has no hold,

broken bond.

I can smile bright now.

It's going to be okay.

Even though the future,

I know not all about,

Neither the day

Nor the time

When my

appointment will come.

Whatever the day,

Hope tells me

I'll smile and say

It's okay

Because God I've found

I'm free, my mind's sound.

There is no death, I

Walk through the valley, though fear

Follows not, with me

I am, the spring rain

I am, the deepest of wells

Come back home...to me

Tell me, why you fear

Ending, all that you have known

Do you know at all?

Here I am, finally,

a breath away from peace.

I`ve walked this life, so tiredly,

finding solace among the trees.

I have dreamt and hoped and wished for death,

to take the hand of The Reaper.

All these years short on breath,

I have longed for the calm of the Final Sleeper.

Now, on my humble bed with angels by my side,

I put away my regrets,

I no longer fear those tides.

I will be going soon,

to meet all who I have lost.

I do not cry for their tearful tunes,

I am ready to pay the cost.

They will miss me and ache for a while,

but death is the natural way of things

And I meet him with a smile.

I do love you, my living loved ones,

But I am old and it is my time.

Do not listen to those woeful drums,

Know in your heart that we will meet again,

Sometime.

a memory, though

the burden itself may be

heavier than expected when

you recall a glimpse of me.

It is not my intention to

bring sorrow, rather joy.

A parting moment, smile,

or words of wisdom to employ.

And if this weight becomes

too much, you may certainly concede

to take a breath, a moment,

before you dutifully proceed.

The work you have committed to

in remembering my face

will fulfill the soul's desire

that death cannot erase.

At the Gates again, though I don't know

Who the Gatekeeper is this time.

I don't even remember how many times I've been here.

Was it a sprint or a marathon this time?

High jump, long jump, or triple jump?

Did my world end in fire, or ice?

Did I have my good shorts on?

Did I leave a legacy, and if so, was it

Fame, or infamy?

Did anyone weep, or did anyone

Cheer?

Which did I do, if either?

A wry grin erupts on my face as I realize

None of this actually even means

A goddamn thing.

My, Oh so beloved

kin

waiting bed of mine when I croak

around death of mine

knowing

it was their poison doing it

ha

ha

it was not

mine was it

mine

as always dupes of kin of mine

and now

when

I as planned morons you I my breath will surrender to the gods

ha

my poison

in me

will explode

kill

you

all

I will have servants in the Hall of dead

Smiling at death, no more afraid

A brave face I choose to make

Though it's hard, I try to be brave

My courage I need to take

Acceptance, I know, is the only way

To put my fear of death at bay

My life is precious and made of days

So I must find a way to face my fate

My spirit will not be broken

Though I am surrounded by fear,

I will not be forsaken

And I will conquer my own fear

I will not bemoan my fate,

I will not lament my life

I will not wait in vain

To accept death, without any strife

My courage will be a shield

A rock, protecting my head

I will face death and not yield

My faith will keep me ahead

Smiling at death, I do not dread

Acceptance, my heart will take

Though it's hard, I will not be swayed

My courage, I choose to make.

I’ve lived one long life for many years,

And found much to treasure,

A fair share of smiles and tears,

As I reflect on memories with little displeasure,

I think that I surely have had,

A life well lived by any measure.

No, all my dreams I did not yet beget,

But with certainty I say,

Despite it all, I have not one regret.

So if the dream of life now should end,

And soon I wake in the arms of death,

Why not greet him as a friend?

As my story comes to its final chapter,

Let it in the epilogue be said:

With friends and family around her,

She died not with fear, but a smile instead.