Moujan Saderi

I hope when your bones ache and crack

you remember the summer days,

when you would smile at your dog

as he followed along

while you walked in the morning haze.

I hope when your hearing starts to go

you remember the nights that you spent

singing too loud

trying to drown out the sound

of the pain,

and the truth

and the

I hope you remember the crash of the waves,

that made you feel helpless and small.

And the purr of your cat,

as it sat in your lap,

and the rain,

and the wind,

and the

The ticking and tocking of clocks.

Even when your eyes become too weak

to focus upon the stars,

I hope you remember

the way that you felt

that one time you watched the sun rise.

It rose slowly,

while you grew old.

And I hope that as your body

fails and falls apart,

you remember all the ways you lived

and the joy that filled your heart.

I hope that everything you lose

serves only to remind

of what you had,

and what you did

and the things that made you smile.

And most of all I hope

that when you say goodbye,

you die not because you’re old

but because you loved a life.