Deathbed Wisdom

I tried to ignore
The red-stained tissue
Wadded up in your once firm hand,
And those deep, dark circles under your wise eyes,
But the question stills hangs between us,
Suspended in midair
Like a falling leaf
Captured in a black and white photograph.

"Are you dying?"

You cough into your tissue
And slowly blink your eyes:
"We're all dying.
Each and every one of us,
Even you.
Some of us go sooner than others,
But we all have to go sometime.
The only way to beat death,
The only way to conquer the Conqueror,
Is to accept it.
Accept Death as simply another part of Life.
Live as though you are dying,
And you will finally have begun to Live."

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