a wise and loyal friend
who is a monk
once explained to me
the cement truck philosophy
to approaching life
“find a need, then fill it…”
and it never made more sense to me
than as i was sitting
dead still in traffic
on I-71 southbound this morning
for two hours
an eighty year old man
walked onto the expressway
and jumped out in front
of a giant green cement truck
with the enthusiasm
of a little brooklyn girl
playing double dutch
people are saying
it wasn’t a suicide
he was addled
confused
suffering from dementia
to which i respond
all the more reason
dying in the united states dictates
you buck up and suffer through it
our views on euthanasia are archaic
no, folks
i believe
he was having what they call
a moment of clarity
and i’d like to think
right before the truck hit him
he smiled and closed his eyes
he had a need for peace
he filled it