One Day I Will Die

By Jason Shinder

Published April 1st, 2001

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How proud I am
      to be the center
            of a tragedy

Again
      and again
            the same shadow.

Thank you God.
      Thank you shadow.
            Happy is the man

who looks into
      the deepest folds
            of his sorrows.

The soul, lost
      can be stirred.
            Thank you sorrows.

Thank you
      bottom of the river.
            Won’t you be forever?

No one else
      in sight.
            Soon I won’t

have to work
      to get attention.
            Thank you work.

Haven’t you carried me
      everywhere?
            And thank you

silence
      for holding me
            before I spoke.

And it does not good
      to give me a glass
            of water.

And it does no good
      to wipe the sweat
            from my forehead.

Not now.
      Not in the night
            with my eyes closing.

Thank you night.
      This time
            before I leave

I want to thank
      my friends.
            Thank you friends.

Thank you.
      What more could I,
            a dying man, want?