Epicureans said we shouldn’t fear
There’s nothing after death, there’ll be no pain,
If life is good, good; bad then there’s no gain
Prolonging it, all die, we all end here.
Philodemus allowed we might want more
If we’re pursuing goodness, unachieved,
And we might miss the dead, and might be grieved,
Prepare well, you’ll die soon, if not before.
They’re not wrong, but it’s more than I can stand
Perhaps a better person stays serene
And doesn’t rage at death, the final mean,
That cuts us off from all we hoped and planned.
When faced with endless abscence of dead friends
I can’t forgive the way death forces ends.
January 21st 2015
