THE DEAD POETS LIST by R.M. Engelhardt

THE DEAD POETS LIST

In my lifetime I’ve probably written over a hundred trillion words.
But I’d die for just one more cigarette.
When the curtain falls, when the moment ceases
To be.

Sinatra said it best.

“That’s Life”

To go out with a bang
Not that stupid whimper
And leave something for them to chew on

Let them talk about you,
At your best & at your worst

Hopefully
They will remember you
Hopefully
They will read

Those hundred
Trillion words
That you left behind

Smile
Ponder
& Laugh

There’s not much more
Than that
That you could

Ever pray or ask for

Because
The end is
Just that

The end
The end of
The story

The end of it all
Where
The protagonist

Sacrifices his soul
For the greater good

The greater
Something

No matter
What it is
Was

It is fit

Thanks
For the
Scotch


R.M. Engelhardt is an American poet, writer & author whose work over the last some 30 years has been published in a wide number of poetry journals and zines. He currently lives & writes in Upstate NY and is the Editor of the Indie Poetry Press Dead Man’s Press Ink.  His new book “The Dying Time Poems By R.M. Engelhardt” (2026) is now available on Amazon.