On the day I die,
I’ll remember,
Pushing my firetruck down the driveway.
Mama was applauding me,
Like I had just stuck an American flag
On the surface of the moon.
Nothing could stop me.
I was the center of the world,
In my home of soft voices.

I’ll remember,
Biting my nails like a sonuvabitch,
Until they were nice and bloody.
It brought joy to me,
On some occasions.
Eventually,
Mama had to wrap my fingers,
With Scotch tape.

I will remember,
How Barnette and Bobby,
My little cousins,
Tampered with grandma’s corpse,
At the funeral.
Not the first time those,
John Barleycorns,
Made a mess of our reputation,
In the humble town
Of Mount Vernon.

On the day I day I die,
I’ll remember,
Sitting alone in blades of grass,
Staring at the Ohio,
Watching souls float downstream.
Sitting solemnly,
Dreaming that big balloons,
Formed over the earth.
Everything was at peace.
My troubles withered away,
I was alone but that was okay.

These are the days I will miss,
These were the times of bliss.