If we must be eaten by worms, let them be great Wyrms
Let death come as a dragon, as a great quest
Let us die for a purpose, die passing a test
We may fall and be eaten, but fall on our own terms.
Let us die in our splendor, not sunk in decay
No slowly in pain, not gnawed by unrest,
Not fallen from what we have been at our best
If we must die, like heroes, let it be on a good day.
When the dragons come spiralling out of the sun
Let us greet them with joy, with a smile on our face
With our swords in our hands and the deeds we have done
In the greatness of life, in the pride of our place
In our hope for the future, the race still to run.
If we must make an end, let us make it with grace.
15th June 2017, Florence