Arrogance Of Death

Have I ever had an experience
Of ceasing to be —

No

Quite the contrary—
I have had countless experiences
Where appearances cease to be

But I have never had
The experience
Of ceasing to be

What is this nonsense then
About death —
About ceasing to be

How on earth can I know
That a person — so called —
Who supposedly dies
Experiences cessation

When I could not touch his experience
Could never enter his experience
Of waking, dreaming or sleep
When he was allegedly alive

How on earth
Can I claim knowledge of his experience
Now that he’s supposedly dead
And conclude
That he has ceased to be

I am the one who experiences
Appearance
His body, breath
His brain waves
Ceasing to be

I experience
Appearances ceasing to be

And I conclude that
That person —
Whatever he was when living —
Has now
Ceased to be

Is that not sheer assumption —
Or worse — arrogance