' Die before you die '...

Sir, have you forgotten the promise
you made in your mother's womb,
to die before you die?

When will you remember
what you intended?

Don't let your donkey wander loose!
It will stray into your neighbor's
saffron garden. Think of the damage
it might do, and the punishment!

Who then will carry you naked
to your own death?



- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic

From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992