#MIDDLEBURY
Voidcraft
Ben Mirov
When the time comes for you
to board death’s shifty raft
of mirror shards and plastic coffee cups,
I hope you’re ready.
I hope you’ve made peace
with everyone you’ve ever done wrong
and you feel no more use for pencils
and your robe is warm and dry
and nothing obstructs
your view of the void.
When the moment arrives
I hope you pass through the membrane
that separates this world
from the next whatever
snowstorm wishbone yadda yadda
with very little pain. And a modicum of pride.
That’s all I have to say for now.
That’s all I ever have to say.
About this poem
“‘Voidcraft’ is a poem that comes from thinking about Japanese death poems, negative capability, and Viking funerals.” – Ben Mirov
About Ben Mirov
Ben Mirov is the author of “ghost machines” (Slope Editions, 2016). He lives in Oakland, Calif.
The Academy of American Poets is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, whose aim is to make poetry available to a wider audience. Email The Academy at poem-a-day@poets.org.
(c) 2016 Ben Mirov. Originally published in Poem-a-Day, www.poets.org. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
