Reply to Emily Dickinson’s ‘Because I could not stop for Death’

Toothless bull

Twice I’ve attended my own funeral
At twelve,
I stood with the mourners
Crowding round a small grave
With all looking solemn
But not crying
I was also a spectator
And also the dead
Dreams do repeat themselves
As I dreamt it again
More than a decade later
Nothing had changed
They still arranged themselves
The same way as before
And I was still with them
The same age as before
Death visits
Invited or not
But I keep him as a toothless bull
Totally ineffective
Because i intend to be here
For a very long time

Bose