In 20 30 40 or 50 – Will you be Ready?

In 20, 30, 40 or 50   
When your brains are tired                                                 
And your bones frail
And your bladder weak
And darkness all you see
When your epidermis sheds
And memory not as sharp
And your teeth begin to fall out
And hair not as pretty
When you can sniff death so close                 
So close you can almost breathe it in your nostrils
Will you be ready?

In 20, 30, 40 or 50
Will your eyes be prepared to shut?
And your spirit to bid the world farewell?
Will the call be received with fear or fulfillment?
And your body be ready to rest in peace?
Or rather in despair, full of regret and anguish?
Frightful and afraid of the coldness of the grave
And uncertain of the life you’ll meet.

What if you do not have 20, 30, 40 or 50?
And your brains never get tired
Your bones still as hard
Your bladder not as weak.
And your sight still perfect.
What if your epidermis is intact
And your memory as sharp as ever.                                                                         
And your teeth so strong to break the bones
And your hair ever so lustrous
Will you still be ready to exit?

If you had 1, 2, 3 or 4
For your spirit to desert this body
But your brains and bones and bladder and sight
and skin and memory and teeth and hair unblemished 
Will you look down and back and smile?
Will the clock stop ticking and the bells stop chiming
and the birds stop chirping?
Will it be noticed that a beautiful soul is lost?

It may not be in 20, 30, 40 or 50
It could be in 1, 2, 3 or 4 
Will you be ready to bid this earth farewell?  
Not in sorrow
But in joy, you’d love to see how the world mourns at your passing.
Will you be ready? 
                                       

©

•