Executed With Grace

Death does not come forward to deplete,
does not prowl towards its recipient with fear
locked in the paw it delivers to the face,

a swat of fickle transference. Death does
not single out the one who needs it most,
for there is little redemption in release,

instead this great tyger must trade with one
who is strong in the breath of generation,
for it most seeks someone who can offer

a certain wisdom of how this life
of breathing can be executed with
grace. Death does not bring fear

to those who know him for the gift
he delivers, a reverse womb, a vision
of the most miraculous sunset

and we must learn to go gracefully,
audaciously, into that good light.

Artist's Notes

George Inness (1825-1894), American landscape painter, was largely responsible for introducing the French Barbizon style in the United States. The victim of epilepsy, he was also given to eccentric behavior and possessed a mystical personality. His son reported his father died viewing a particularly exquisite sunset; though weakened from his final illness, Inness threw his hands in the air while exclaiming, "My God! Ah, how beautiful!" then fell to the ground, dead.