The writing habit

"Retired" or not, I woke with most of a poem in my head. A harmless distraction, I suppose. Here it is, finished later this morning.

MY DARLING, AN ALERT

...died from a heart attack while making love to his wife.
News item

i

If I die in your arms
quite literally so
under no condition blame yourself


ii

Even if our eyes are locked
despite the contortions of my face
which make me look inhuman

If I am panting, drooling,
and would seem to be
in excruciating pain

If I gasp and cry out,
even if I weep
or speak utter nonsense

Do not despair for a moment

Even if at last I am too heavy
on you, difficult to get out from under
dead wood on a wet beach

and then so still, so silent
it takes you a moment to realize
this is it, this is how it ends

even if examples worse than this
prove true, even if anything
do not despair, and know this

some things we will never comprehend
I died a happy man

--Charles Deemer