Nothing

When I die
I don’t wish for Heaven
or for Hell
or even Purgatory.

I don’t really want to be
reincarnated.
I do not hope for any sort of 
life after death.

I don’t place faith in a religion,
due to fear of dying 
or whatever comes next.

I am not afraid to die.
I’ll accept death when it comes. 
Be it now, tomorrow,
or fifty years from now.

I would like to think that death
truly is the end.
That when I die,
I’m truly gone.

That the energy leaves
my body
and is reused elsewhere. 
But that my consciousness ends.

Nothingness.
Like a dreamless sleep.
Is all I want.

I want to rest
for life itself is enough
to make me tired.

If you cared for me while I lived,
cremate me,
and plant a willow tree
with my ashes.

Watch it grow.

Then sit beneath it with me.
And enjoy the life you are living,
While I rest in peace. 

~Kari Tobler