I Want to Die Like…

William Miller

I want to die like

Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler,”

jumping from the top rope,

body slamming the Ayatollah,

before his heart explodes,

the lights go out.

I don’t want to die old,

frightened, mean to

my neighbors, not writing

my last, best poem

with sweat and heavy

drops of blood.

 

William Miller lives and writes in the French Quarter of New Orleans. He has published five collections of poetry, twelve books for children and a mystery novel.