I wrote this poem as being explicitly Epicurean. I view it as the younger, crapper brother of my other poem On Reading Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 Again. I read it on my YouTube channel here.

A BLESSEDLY HAPPY MAN GIVES OUT ADVICE ON HIS DEATH BED ON HOW TO LIVE
THE GOOD LIFE

Bryan A. J. Parry

Send me a pot of cheese
That I, on special days,
May feast if I so please.
But on the everyday,
Crackers, unbuttered bread,
Keep hunger well at bay;
And knowing this brings joy
That will not dim or cloy.

I do not fear the sky,
It’s only atoms, air,
So really, why would I?
The Gods don’t lie in wait
To strike from clouds with bolts
Then sprint off with Giants’ gait;
And knowing this is strength
That lasts my whole lifes length.

Is Death a thing to fear?
Was pre-conception woe?
Nope, death ain’t worth one tear.
But death of friends is pain,
Oh yes, but thank luck you met,
They now indwell your brain;
And knowing this is calm
Remembrance the mind’s own balm.

The dreadful things in life
Infirmity, disease,
Are not fantastic strife:
If long, they ebb and flow,
If short, they soon have passed,
Both ways it’s finite woe.
And knowing this cures fear
Since relief is ever near.

But now it comes to mind,
The foremost thing to do
Is love the life you find;
It’s the only life you’ve got,
You’ll never have another,
So waste not your precious lot;
Don’t rue what you dont own
Most men have greater plights to moan.

So before I drift away to never wake,
Heed my final words, for Goodness Sake!
Sing, dance, embrace your life,
Eat, drink, enjoy your wife.

References
featured image from http://www.showroomworkstation.org.uk/pictures/programme/1/0/2/.10202/~EDw4bjY5/Epicurus.jpg
https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLDAD2B8B92F2C19E7&v=OjX3UdAwkks

© 2010 – 2014 Bryan A. J. Parry