The Last Laugh

[ellajam]

The Last Laugh

Make me laugh before I die
that I may wear a smile, though wry,
upon my death mask, and with luck,
(frankly, I never gave a fuck)
my few remaining friends will grin.
To laugh at death is not a sin;
indeed, the last breath should be fun
and bottled, as was Edison's.
How did they know which suck would send him
to his final, fateful ending?
Make no mistake when last I pull
on God's good air, one gasped lung full,
it's only to supply a laugh.
Please someone, take a photograph.
tectak
2013

Moment of death is a hard thing to predict. Maybe if you reran it often in your mind with a grin, your brain would do it at the right time. Or a loved one might be able to manipulate it, I don't know, I've never tried. If you're planning to lie around in a casket for a few days, I'm sure your request could be accommodated.