Some say we die each day
Lawyers and judges have their say
It’s okay to inject poison
In those sentenced by their peers
But to hasten death in an otherwise
Decayed body is deemed an egregious act

Funny how we need help
To arrive into this world
But we cannot seek guidance to leave it
A paradox obtuse and equivocal
Legalism dictates rights along a continuum
Along a continuum called life

What if our forefathers were wrong?
That the pursuit of happiness
Is not an inalienable right
But a cruel twist of fate
Promulgated on the sick and infirmed
With no hope of joining the living

So why do you wish to die?
Is it because you’re afraid to live?
Perhaps numbness precludes pain
Is it sane?
To ask someone you love
To end your life?

Euthanasia—an oxymoron
For those who want death with dignity
What honor exists in dying?
Just because your legs and arms
Cannot talk to your brain
Is it reason to stake your claim?

Those dying and denied their right
To secure their ultimate freedom
While others will accuse
Those who refuse
To remain alive
In a body already dead