My life’s been a mess,
  but more than anything
  —I wanted to die well

To make up for those times
  I struggled and failed
   —and shorted the line

The people who knew me
  were driven away
   —in vain their love fell

Making love to my mistakes
  my hours were sentenced
   —through heartache defined

My life at an end
  more than anything else
   —I hope to die well

Undeserving of this honor
  I know that my chances
   —are slim, mostly gone

I still have to try
  to take any meaning
  —from this place where I dwell

A final reminder
  of all I am not
   —as I venture beyond

(Villanova Pennsylvania: October, 2018)