4.12.2007

Gravity Killed Kurt Vonnegut

Gravity killed Kurt Vonnegut.
At least that’s how I heard it
as I drove in my car.
Complications from a fall, they said.
From a fall.
Not illness.
Not old age.
His own body hitting earth
did him in.

Despite plane crashes
and slips from rocky cliffs
I’d never thought
of gravity as a murderer.
What grounds me can kill me.
When I next lose my footing
I will think of Kurt Vonnegut
and the simplicity of his farewell.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

beautifully written.

stephoto said...

Well said. And aren't we glad he left so many of his words with us before he finally left in such an odd, simplistic way?

Girlplustwo said...

you know, i was in his brownstone in NYC once. his wife's photographs all over the walls and his books stacked up everywhere.

he wasn't there at the time (no, i didn't break and enter) so it was a bit weird, but still...wow.

QT said...

Nicely done. He was one of my faves.

Anonymous said...

The skull is a delicate organ.

Emily said...

I must admit, having just been out of the country, I think I missed this. Great poem, great title.

Willie Baronet said...

He was one of my heroes. Sigh.