Shine

When I die
don’t let it be in cold blood.
Don’t let it be in vain.
Don’t let anyone scream

my name when they hear the news.
Don’t let my funeral be
without good happiness.
Don’t let my thoughts be worthless.

Don’t let the silent pictures
of my life fade away.
Don’t let the noise of my voice
burn from memory.

Don’t let my legacy die.
Don’t let me die.
Don’t let the crows in the sky
stop when I die.

Don’t let the flow
of my favorite city streets halt.
Don’t let the ones I love be
ignorant of the things I’ve felt.

Don’t let the strokes
of a guitar make you cry
when you think of me.
Don’t let the battles I’ve fought

be without victory.
Don’t let the times where I was sad
overwrite what was happy.
Don’t let the finality of this

leave you yearning. Don’t let
the supernovas among the stars be too much.
Don’t let the asterisks
at the bottoms of pages

in your story make you miss too much.
Don’t let the definitions
of the words I’ve made
be rewritten by others.

Don’t let the ink of death
stain the paper of life. Don’t let
the last word be weak.
When I die don’t drop

to your knees and sink to the ground.
Listen to melancholy songs
and talk to me like I’m still around.
Remember me like I was never gone

and enjoy the memories. I’d say
I’ll soon be gone but you know
I’ll never leave.
When I die I want you

to think of autumn because
I loved it so much.
I want you to miss me
as I was and will always be.

I want you to think
so I can be back again.
Alive in the memories, promise
you’ll think of me.

Don’t let my silent pictures
in dusty reels lie.
Don’t let my asterisk
cease to shine.