“Leave me on this earth as long as possible. ”

Leave me on this earth as long as possible

For I fear I have come late to the immensity

The magnificence the miracle.

Let me marvel

At the constancy of

Breath and the beating of heart.

Let me touch

The mystery

Of cells and muscles and nerves.

Let me wonder

At thought and memory.

Let me feel

the strength of body, arms, legs, torso.

Let me stand

in the fullness of glory

The first light of sun

The last gleam of moonlight

The warmth of summer

The bloom of spring

The glory of autumn

The quiet of winter.

Let me go up into mountains

And across meadows

And thru streams.

Let me be captivated by creation

Human and natural.

Let me stay a little longer

To understand more deeply

To love more fully

To say goodbye

more gracefully.