by Katie Arminie

When you are shutting down, the last to go out are the lights. The collections are wiped clean or sold off to a focused intention, the last bit of letting go. The worries that you kept close to your heart seem silly now. What would the world be like with all this gone, replaced with something new? The obviousness of what mattered all along, should bring embarrassment, and yet it is pointless as life slips away. You stick your face into the cobwebs, you were once unwilling to face.

What if I told you this is not a closing down of a store but the closing down of a human being. The regret of taking that lonely hike and that risky step are gone for mere minutes are left. The pain makes your brain laser sharp despite your body readying itself for its own private death business. The sadness and the happiness of a lifetime have poetic beauty now. How silly to have ever been bored! In your minds eye, you see the people you loved the most, the ones you thought you had endless time with. Life meant to be spent on nature, love, music and art, not on the mundane waste of earning and fitting in.

What is the purpose of realizing this as you breathe your last breaths? An ironic joke? Life always felt like you were being played with and messed with like a higher God akin to an aloof cat. The image makes you laugh and cry at the same time. An epiphany is almost here… Your body tingles with it and your heart aches in anticipation. Lights turn off, the electricity is out.