Death’s Plea
Artwork by Caroline Kuo, age 16
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Fluttering on the daisies,
A butterfly in the breeze,
Sunlight dancing off its wings
A merry existence
Life, oh, so short
For those discontent
Yet enough for those
Who choose to explore,
Give it a meaning
The rest, who knows?
People with their last breath
End their journey with me, Death
Singular,
Not plural
Not mass murder
Not the falling of bodies,
Littering of corpses on the battlefield
Not the final moment for
Tens, hundreds, thousands
At one behest
At one strike of a missile
Not the ally of a virus
That has changed the world
Not wanting to watch, where should I look
As she is separated from her child, forever
As he leaves his family to fight the war
Unwilling, unknowing, unprepared
As countries point blame
Homes go up in a funeral flame
A coin has two sides
Two faces, two personas
With one purpose, like me
To walk the journey is destiny
From the first to the last breath
Even as destruction rages around
I wish to sidestep schools
To not be forced to pass by the playground
The daisies on the field blossoming
With hope, like they should
With life, like they should
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Avishi Gurnani is a 12-year-old student at New Town Primary School in Singapore. She has published three books of her own, and is always poking around for new platforms to express her passion for writing.