When I die

will I simply cease

to exist?

A hundred years later,
I will have no claim
nor any remaining imprint
on Life.

My body will
decay
and my mind will
evaporate.

It will not go anywhere.
It will not float up,
up away,
but it will vanish into oblivion.

My mind will not recognize
the smell of autumn leaves
or the best way to answer
Ms. Verrone’s multiple choice questions.

I do not know how
to make my mind aware
that one day soon
it will no longer be.

My body understands
that it must learn
to befriend the worms
and dirt that will caress
its sad, mindless carcass.

But my mind will remain untouched
and undone
until the end
of everything.