On Death

How many of us walk around with the stench of death
Stuck to our teeth and lingering on our dried out tongues

How many hellos do we want to issue 
While the hollowed out
center of our bowels begs for 
the silence 
That empty eyes issue

How much love do we need 
That we cannot receive 
Because searing pain runs deep
And pours from the center of our being 

And our energy reeks 
Strapped 
By the heaviness not unlike the sea

Take us back 
Back
Back to our mothers

Surround us in the water of the womb 
Heal us by our tears 
And carry us while we sleep 
Through the emptiness of being
Fully alive in misery

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Poem: © 2022 Ashley Wolpert Miller
Photo credit: © Chekart / Adobe Stock