A visit from The Healing Muse: 'Now What?'

Deirdre Neilen, PhD: Eric v.d. Luft is a poet, author, editor, professor and publisher who owns Gegensatz Press in Syracuse, New York. He sent us a lighthearted look at a different kind of bucket list. Here is "Now What?":

I've already

Done everything I wanted to do,

Seen everything. I wanted to see,

Gotten everything I wanted to get,

Been everywhere I wanted to be.

So now what?

Crawl toward death?

Slink into nothingness?

Fade into shadows?

Just sit around and rot?

That's possible.

I've done my job,

Achieved my goals,

Fulfilled my vocation.

So what else is there?

I've already

Bought my gravesite,

Prepaid my funeral,

Prepared the way

For easy passage.

If I were

A patient,

A veterinary patient,

I could at least expect to be put down

In time,

While human lives are mercilessly prolonged

Beyond their time.

But no!

I think instead

I'll start all over

With childlike wonder,

Learn everything anew,

And once again

Grow up.