including death have been reported—
not that death is rare, death is commonplace,
an everyday occurrence.
Even the sun will die and the stars—
many of them—are dead already.
“If I knew that dying was going to be this easy,
I would have done it long ago,” he said.
He was being serious and also funny.
Maybe he was taking medication
that put him in a jokey mood on his deathbed
with his loved ones gathered round, wringing their hands
and crying. Because it was all so serious.
Until he said that. And to no one in particular. No one
laughed at first. Then someone did. Then
suddenly they were all laughing and feeling
almost good about dying, which was
neither as serious nor as rare as had been reported.