when you learn to inscribe
your soul upon the parchment of others' hearts,
you defy the very nature of mortality. the grave may swallow your form,
yet it cannot devour the essence you've etched into the lives you’ve touched.
for what is death
but a mere cessation of breath,
a return to dust?
true death, however, is the fading of your presence from the minds
that once cherished you,
the quiet erasure of your voice
from the chorus of remembrance.
to live...