A Meditation on Death by Diana Raab

As my favorite aunt is put to rest

my mother lay in oblivion

in some east coast hospital

 

after multiple tumbles

from her aged horse’s back,

and all the while, I meditate on death.

 

Tonight, I think of how death

teaches us the gift of how to live—

crocheted family mortalities

 

cupped by answers to live by,

encased with mirrored reminders

to enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

 

Maybe these soft reminders

emerge from my Buddhist teachings

perched on my bedside table

that depict mindful living,

 

like gears fixed in slow motion,

or time spent time brushing

yellowing teeth, watering flowers,

or walking amidst meditative gardens.

 

I slip into an unknowing sleep

and wonder if I shall awaken

to smell flowers and hear hummingbirds,

as I turn to water my internal garden,

 

and give permission to mindful moments.

 …as I remember how Socrates professed

that death has no place in our lives.

About the Poet:

Diana Raab, PhD, is an award-winning memoirist, poet, blogger, speaker, and author of 13 books. Her new poetry chapbook is, An Imaginary Affair: Poems Whispered to Neruda (Finishing Line Press, 2022). She blogs for Psychology Today, Thrive Global, Sixty and Me, Good Men Project, and The Wisdom Daily.