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“Death is king, and Vivat Rex!”—Alfred, Lord Tennyson He wields the scepter mortals must obey:The magistrate and thief, the saint and whore,The millionaire and pauper, wit and bore,Philosopher and...

“I only desire to find out knowledge . . . which may instruct me how to die well and how to live well.”—Michel de Montaigne “Life Skills”—the mindless high-school...

“Do not go gentle into that good night” —Dylan Thomas Not gentle, I went mad, as that good nightEnveloped me. What did you hope I’d gain, My son, by...

The buyer signed the contract smugly sure The guarded walls he’d bought would keep away The street-game children, noisy in their play; The beggars, hungry, hideous, and poor; The...

You’re with us still, your names engraved in stone, ?Inscribed in bronze, recited every May. ?Fresh flowers”mums, carnations, roses”say ?The pain’s still fresh: our grieving’s never done. ?Your serried...

The beauty luring men aboard the ship In time’s a wreck, unsightly and ignored. The handsome playboy charming all aboard, While juggling five affairs without a slip, Succumbs to...

The women knew their effort was in vain: No box of unguent, myrrh, or aloes could Prevent the corpse from rotting; muscles would ”with bones and sinews”turn to dust...

Our is , our are , our am ”all melt away To was and were , the markers of a grave. The sweet infinitives we hope to save” To...

San Francisco has not allowed burials within its city limits for over a century. Please come to Mount Parnassus for the view: The winding streets, the flowered hills, the...