-for my eulogist, in advance​                         -after Stephen Dunn Do not praise me for my exceptional patience, It has cost me too much energy. You should know I respect myself too little, Allowing myself to be dragged around without complaint. Go down to the old cemetery; you’ll see a hundred broken souls Who thought that they had love. But what I crave is not a touch, Fleeting love dies with my body. And please, resist the temptation of speaking about the dark days; No matter the time spent in tears, What’s important is the smile lines And the countless deep laughs. And since you know my hardships, Understand they’re but splotches of ink on The paper of my life. Despite the pain, My character will remain. Tell them I had wit. That I didn’t hold back smiles, That I played in the rain and the mud But also the sunny grasses. Tell them that at the end I had no need for regret  The timeline doesn’t turn back for petty thoughts. I learned to live without needless shame,  To treasure all my feelings, fleeting or sustained. What makes me human is what makes me emotional, And I have no need to apologize for that. You who are one of them, say that I loved My acquaintances more than they knew. To all the hellos I wish to have said, I forgive you for being shy. It’s okay, And to all those I did not spend enough time with, I pray for our souls to reunite one day, I love you.