Dying Well

I spend much of my time
watching people, it's what I do
for a living, for my money
to pay my rent when it's due

and I watch these people
making their way, or trying
everyone on their own journey
every day closer to dying

the transient, businessman,
housewife with kids, the farmer,
secretary, student, fisherman,
the ever-wandering woman-charmer,
the married man, the foriegner,
the vendor, banker, and bike-rider,
the computer tech, stockman, sales rep,
the Sears custom-vinyl-sider...

they seem pretty happy, laughing,
talking, hugging, shaking hands,
moving, hurrying to get this and that,
busy making tomorrow's plans
and there are those who stop and rest
and I see them when they're crying
but it's usually over something trivial
not the fact that they are dying.

It's only when a doctor tells them
they have six months to live
do they become scared and depressed
and have nothing left to give
they do some crazy things
they'll put up a fight to the very end
and you never see them out laughing
'cause they're busy getting close to God again

me, I sit back and watch the majority
and can't help but to wonder why
people live life the way they do,
they gotta know they're going to die...

the census, the stats, the general public,
everyone has their story to tell-
but would you even care if I died
more than wondering if I went to heaven or hell?
I'm not rich and famous, only opinionated
and that's nothing that I can sell-
but here it is anyhow, looking at it now
I believe, overall,
we're dying well.