Death Bed

You do not have to be in a death bed
when it's your time to die.
It can happen in a grassy field
or on the sand where you lie.
It can happen on a ship at sea
or in a plane in the air.
It can occur while making love
or perhaps sitting in a chair.

And what does it matter where the last rattle comes?
The end is always the same.
The rich, the poor, the mighty, the meek
death will come to claim.
The important thing about dying is
how it levels the playing field.
None will be asked what they were
or if they were well-heeled.

For everyone is born to live
but more than that, born to die.
And the 'death bed'
is just a tiresome phrase
that's been used to dignify
death.

poem by Edwina Reizer
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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