What is your death plan?

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

My partner and I finally spent some time on advanced directives — those documents that tell the world how you want your body and soul to be handled in the event of catastrophic illness or death. It was a life-affirming practice that, for me, deepened the connection to life and to our relationship. And here, very simply, is my wish.

When I die,

wrap my body in a biodegradable shroud

place me directly into the earth,

in full contact with the soil

among the insects who move through and aerate the dirt,

underneath the roots of trees

that were old before I was born,

touching the mycelium.

Let my flesh dissolve into all of this

become particles of air

to be inhaled, exhaled

by the creatures who come after us--

the ones who inherit this planet

after we have ravaged it.

Let them exhale bits of me --

molecules that used to be my body

over ruins that used to shelter it.