Medical Directives
Now I must list all the ways
My body can betray me
And leave instructions
Do Not …—Do Not…—Do Not…
Such an odd way to look at myself.
There my lungs go, in—out.
My heart is thumping regularly.
Brain cells compute for the rest.
I hope to leave it all peacefully,
Without anguish for the others,
Without living in a dying shell.
Lari Smith