We all wonder what happens to us when we die. I have discussed this before, and I wrote this poem several years ago while I was thinking about the problem. But, it really isn’t about us, is it? We will be gone. Whatever happens to us, it is those we leave behind that will bear the brunt. Those who love us, (there are some, if we are lucky) will be impacted in ways we can’t predict. My wish is that you will live happily every day, and not give me a thought. If there is an afterlife, we will see each other again. If not, it really doesn’t matter, does it? So, don’t spend a moment grieving or looking for me. You have more important things to do.
When I die,
Don’t come looking for me.
or in the grass.
I won’t be there.
Don’t look for me on a cruise ship
going nowhere.
I won’t be there.
Don’t look for me at my place of work.
My working days are done.
I won’t be there.
Don’t look for me in your photographs,
two dimensional copies of an image of me.
I am not there.
Don’t look for me in your house.
I am not there.
Don’t look for me in the streets of the city,
Blaring chaos all around.
I am not there.
Don’t look for me in Heaven or Hell.
If I am there,
You can’t find me yet.
Don’t look for me while you are living.
You can’t find me yet.
If you really want to find me,
Look into your heart and mind,
Because I live there,
forever.
