when i die, don’t read the words i wrote - feel them
breathe in the tragedy, and exhale the triumph
walk a million miles in the shoes that tore open my feet
feel the festering of untold wounds
and bask in the love i’ve been blessed with since birth
look around at my family, at the ones who built this life with me
and the friends who decided that sharing this path with me was a worthwhile pursuit
when i am no longer here, do not despair
i’ve left these memories behind for a reason
within them, you’ll find what was once buried in my soul, but has since been unearthed
shower the dirt upon me, and know that i have transcended
and rejoice that, whenever you find yourself missing me,
all that i ever was exists between these lines
to be a poet was the greatest gift that i received
and despite the anguish it brings, it brings even greater understanding
through these lines of black ink and white space, i explored the vastness of this world
and how privileged i was to see it in ways that few people ever do…
so, when i die, return to these pages, and find within them the essence of who i strived to be
for when i go, i hope you won’t be overcome by grief,
but relieved to know that,
with the words i’ve left behind,
you could never lose me
