On The Day I Die

On The Day I Die

On the day I die, when I’m being carried
toward the grave, don’t weep. Don’t say,

He’s gone! He’s gone! Death has nothing
to do with going away. The sun sets

and the moon sets, but they’re not gone.
Death is a coming together. The tomb

looks like prison, but it’s really
release into union. The human seed goes

down into the ground like a bucket into
the well where Joseph is. It grows and

comes up full of some unimagined beauty.
Your mouth closes here and immediately

opens with a shout of joy there.

~Rumi