Slowly approaching, the broken window
With leaping flames, in relentless pursuit
I am now faced, with a desperate choice
For, my form of death, I’m forced to moot
Engulfed on all sides, by smoke, billowing
Tears of despair, spring forth from my eyes
As I steel my heart and resolve to scorn fire
Judging the plunge, to be a better demise
To defer the inevitable, for as long as I can
Trembling all over, I clamber onto the ledge
And as the inferno, starts to scorch my skin
I suppress my dread and jump off the edge
As I plummet, I've left, some dear thoughts
Being seconds away, from the end of my fall
So I choose to think, of my family and friends
Wordlessly bidding, a final farewell to them all
And just an instant, before hitting the ground
For the last time I mourn, my loved ones, losing
Nevertheless, I take true pride in the fact that
I, on this day die, a death of my own choosing
-Kartik Shastry
