By Rachel Eichler Maron –

To be humored
is everyone’s destiny

if lucky enough
to live long enough
to gift
objects heavy
in memory
short of any use

if lucky enough
to live long enough
to grant
requests for cookies
relished more by the baker
than the consumer

if lucky enough
to live long enough
to give
lengthy speeches
at every
family celebration

What can one do
to avoid this destiny?

Die young and not show up
only to be missed
by everyone,
sincerely.

Rachel Eichler Maron is a Jerusalem-based optometrist, poet, and mother of four who writes and publishes – when she’s not in the clinic.

Photo by Shira Tamir