Live

Live

So, 

I have been to 

Yellow tarp goodbyes 

At HDB void decks - home. 

Incessant Taoist chants that 

Arouse the ire of a distant neighbour. 

Grief muted by the 

Cracking of peanut shells. 

Red threads around wrists

Said to ward off bad luck. 

But, 

If I ever leave

Surround me with white roses. 

Dress me well 

Though it doesn't really matter

So long I am wearing a smile

For that's how I'd want to be 

Remembered for doing most

All my life. 

Heck, 

Make me lie laughing

Show off those pearly whites 

I didn't brush for nothing. 

(Thanks orthodontist!) 

Highlight the pinks of my cheeks

I'd like a healthy 

Natural glow please. 

Hush, 

Hush little baby don't you cry.

Celebrate a life well lived

The little things. 

Bask in the joy of the company

Of the ones whom I love

And is loved by. 

Love one another.

And, 

When all that is done

Scatter me through the ocean

I am not a ceramic plaque 

Not to be reduced to a tiny headshot. 

Hold on dearly to 

The words I have written

The photographs I have taken. 

For 

I truly hope that 

What I have shared with the world

Is what it keeps of me. 

(Note: Romanticizing death can be a dangerous, dangerous thing. I am aware of this, and do not advocate for it. However, penning this allowed me to feel things that the usually-emotionless me doesn't and has in fact given me a multiplied zest for life.)