photo by Alex Lear

Life Hopes From

The Recently Dead

now that i am gone i can say this to you

you did not kill me but you made the me that died

like blood, like bone, like all the people

you’ve sincerely kissed, the stranger you helped

along the way, the wife you divorced, the lady

you loved but didn’t marry, the authorities

you opposed, the friends you embraced

like the many fish you never caught

as well as all the fish you’ve eaten

like every deed done, every vibe

you caused to float through some human

right up until this very moment

i beg of you, while you still have some time left,

i beg of you: make me better

—kalamu ya salaam