What I Think About After Death?
I will not regret
I am a biologist.
I do not believe in an afterlife.
We die,
the blood curdles
the heart stops,
proteins begin breaking down,
and we are buried or burned,
whatever practice dictates.
But hypothetically,
if one could die
and then reflect on the life they lived,
watching it like a movie,
I would be happy.
I did not do many things
that would make me feel guilty.
Guilt and remorse.
I believe, are very heavy emotions,
of course,
only if you have a conscience.
I lived frugally,
respected nature,
did not exploit others.
I used my short life
in learning, writing,
reading, and painting.
I raised children as a holy job,
I created a garden for pollinators.
Why would I be paralyzed by
ill-doing?
Yes, I did not go to temples,
I did not read verses,
but I had no interest
in performative practice,
for I lived it,
in ethical pursuits.
About the Creator
Seema Patel
I am Seema. I contribute to PubMed, Blogger, Medium, LinkedIn, Substack, Amazon KDP, Vocal Media.
I write on nature, health, parenting, creativity, gardening, social issues.
My art shop: https://artsforhealinggifts.etsy.com
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Comments (19)
Returning, Seema, to congratulate you on your leaderboard placement❣
"I raised children as a holy job." ALL THE SNAPS. Love this piece.
Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Love this, Seema! A life well lived.
Congrats!!
This is beautiful. I always say you don’t have to be religious to be moral and ethical. You are indeed living a good life here and now and that’s what matters the most.
This a beautiful poem and a lovely sentiment. I believe that a life well lived and with consideration is the best life one could live. I especially liked your "garden for pollinators" line! Thank you for sharing this one. :)
Yes, this works!
I hope we reincarnate, all matter on earth is recycled in some way, even at particle level. Plus, I’ve always felt like I lived in ancient Egypt as a queen in a past life 😚. Great poem!
You truly are a beautiful person, Seema. Congratulations on your top story❣
This is so thoughtful in many ways,respect
Wow I love this it’s a tricky subject. One we do not get the answer till the final curtain. Well done 🏆🙏😊♦️♦️♦️
wonderful seema
Wonderful verse and self-reflection as well as a beautifully expressed view on life and death. So glad I came across this. Loved the illustration too. I often depict this game in my stories. Congratulations on a much deserved top story
Love this. As a kind and non-religious person, it's a bit freeing to not have any reason to be ethical in hopes to get in a cushy cloud when I drop dead. And, when you're ethical without influence of a divine 'promise' that's often a good human being.
The part that really stayed with me was “if one could die and then reflect on the life they lived, watching it like a movie.” That image felt strangely comforting, especially paired with how calmly you list the choices you made — the garden for pollinators, the frugality, raising children as a holy job. It didn’t read like a defense so much as a quiet inventory, like you’ve already made peace with yourself without needing an audience or ritual. I found myself wondering whether writing this was its own kind of reflection already — do you see this piece as something you wrote for yourself, or were you hoping readers might measure their own lives against it too?
You believe what you believe. Good job.
Power to the loves of your life. Love it.
Living it is better than being a one-day-per-week phony. I believe spirit lives on and this human form is just that - human; the spirit is our true being.