When I Die
By Audrey Roth
When I die, do not place me in a plain pine box and relegate
me to a cemetery plot, with only a tombstone to commemorate
my temporal time in this world, destined to be forgotten.
Instead, find for me an open field, drenched in bright sunshine,
fed by rain, covered in winter with a warm blanket of deep,
white snow, awakening in spring to vibrantly-hued wildflowers.
Gently place my naked body in a burlap sack enriched with
fertile soil and an acorn, and bury it there; let my decomposing
remains morph into rich compost, providing succor to the seed.
Let me have a home in the tiny tree’s burgeoning roots, burrowing
deeply into the ground, steadying the sapling, supporting it through
its adolescence. May my new abode’s darkness cradle my light.
Spread the word of this field, as the red oak spreads its acorns;
let the dead arrive from far and wide, brought by their descendants,
to grow a copse of mighty oaks, creating an endless cycle of life.
Let our remains become the acorns’ doulas, our souls forever
enmeshed in their trees’ roots and ever-broadening trunks; their
deep green leaves, turning fiery orange in fall, our lasting legacy.
May our children, their children, and their children’s children
return to our sacred home and sit under the trees’ shady canopies;
may they find peace as they sit among us.”
Ken hi ratzon. May it be so. - Audrey Roth
About Audrey
Audrey Roth is an inveterate (ex-pat) New Yorker, and a survivor of a rollercoaster childhood of abuse. She is the author of Arms Akimbo: A Journey of Healing, and uses her writing to build strength and resilience. Audrey is a lesbian, a Jew, a feminist, a writer, and a singer, as well as the proud mama of her daughter, the loving, out and proud spouse of her wife, and the proud personal scratching post for Hercules (her cat).
An Invitation
Many thanks to Aubrey for sharing this touching poem, and to her partner Deb Schwartz for the wonderful illustration. We’d love to have you join us by sharing some of your own experiences in nature as a poem, Chat Walk, photo or a short essay.
We also invite you to join our AMP community. You can learn how to take part by clicking HERE. There is no obligation to share, but if you’d feel the urge, please email your submission to AgelessMindProject@gmail.com.
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