A Beautiful Way to Die
by Sabrina Dawkins
I saw trash dance down the side of the road
each time a car would pass.
I saw the confident strides of a drug addict,
the anesthesia having not yet worn off
from the surgery to remove a soul.
I heard laughter and saw finished smokes
thrown out the front door,
a beautiful arc of bright orange
in the dead of night.
Fun times.
And, oh, what a beautiful way to die.
I saw small children running around
outside unattended
while a young mother rocked her newest addition.
Her eyes could only rest on one at a time.
Without a father to watch the rest
they were left to the street’s eye,
under the street light
that will never discipline or guide
in the dead of night
like a flattering spotlight
on that “Gangsta’s Paradise.”
But, oh, what a beautiful way to die.
I saw TV fashions make their way
onto real bodies,
TV slang come out of real mouths
just inches away,
as I listened in horror
to the copy of a fantasy
crawl out of a screen
like the girl from The Ring.
And she, Samara, overtook them,
possessed them,
bringing them to her false reality,
a waking nightmare to savor
because they watched her screen.
But what a beautiful way to be entertained.
I saw ruthless celebrities pledge allegiance to Satan
for fleeting fame and magazine covers.
I saw you defend them and copy their style,
bob to their songs and quote their lines.
They were beautiful and famous and fashionable and rich.
And you died vicariously
through their living death
having sold their soul for false shine.
But, oh, what a fancy way to die.
Beautiful and thought provoking poetry. I was first introduced to the celebration of death at the hands of my mother. A woman who conceived me in sin and couldn’t give me the wisdom I needed to overcome death. So, I went stumbling through the world blind. I committed sins worthy of destruction, but because of the Father’s mercy here I am. I hit a dead end where nothing made me happy. No matter how much I did or gained peace seemed to escape me. No matter how far I ran I couldn’t escape the feeling of being lost and inferior. Death seemed to haunt me and my cup was full. I began listening to the bible which meant nothing to me in the beginning. The Father was nothing more than the genie from the Disney movie Aladdin in my family. A sky being you prayed to when you wanted vanities. I prayed and sought wisdom that the lord could open my eyes and heart to understand and when I finally could, I realized how dire our situation was/is. Growing up without the knowledge of the Father is death. Often times parents destroy the fruit of the womb before there is a knowledge of the Father. Without the law there is only immorality. Once you’ve studied knowledge you realize what little you have in common with the world because now you know what love looks like. My earthly family wants nothing to do with me and even though it’s lonely I know it’s for the best.
Thank you for your insightful comment. Spot-on observation that many families today do not take God seriously. They don’t fear him, and they essentially forget about him until they want or need something. He has become their personal servant to hopefully give them whatever they want and accept them unconditionally no matter what they do. But they don’t even know him because they haven’t studied his word and humbled themselves before him. I know God is real because of the transformation he has caused within me. I grew up in a false church, which Satan cleverly uses to cause many to reject God before even knowing him through the false representation and even false image of him created by evil. I pray more people will listen to and/or read the Bible from cover to cover instead of listening to cherry-picked sermons by godless pastors who view church as a business to woo more members. Illegitimacy is increasing in a world that is falling further and further into sin, with lots of short, impulsive sexual relationships and bad choices concerning mates. And as you said, the situation is dire; many adults not even reaching adulthood but remaining in a haze, a fast fantasy world of sin until their physical state meets their spiritual state. “Family” is anyone who has the Holy Spirit, because I know they are following the narrow way that leads to life (Matthew 7:14).