In the dark silent morning
my thoughts rule the mindscape
and I realize how effortlessly
I could slip into oblivion.
In Lord Byron's dramatic poem
Manfred, the hero on his death bed
tells a priest, It is not difficult
to die.
Manfred never lived in America
where much money is made
keeping old folks alive long after
their quality of life is gone.
America runs on numbers and
a 90 year old human vegetable
is more impressive than an
80 year old human vegetable
and modern medicine can keep
anyone alive for a price.
If you've had enough, good luck,
you have to become an outlaw
to decide to die in America
and nothing is made easy
for you. No understanding,
no help, no admiration. Anything
you do to end your life will
put you in jail. America doesn't
understand the absurdity here.
Manfred, an existential hero,
can face death with honor but
America has no room for heroes
like this. We alienate them and
turn them into criminals and
question their sanity.
There are no Manfreds in America.
