Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Last words.

My quote of the day e-mail included this nugget today:
"Good-bye. I am leaving because I am bored."
~~ George Saunders, last words

Gasp. That's just grand.
(PS - The short story writer isn't still alive and kicking, which is even more grand!)

Another last word morsel I've always been fond of is
"Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something."
~~ Pancho Villa (1923)
pancho Pictures, Images and Photos

But getting Saunders' "last words" made me delve into morbidity for a moment.
What would my tombstone (God forbid) say?
1. For one think, it would definitely have pepperoni on it.
2. Nothing, because I fully intend to be cremated.
3. Hopefully the memorial stone would have something quippy like the quote from writer/historian Hilaire Belloc:
"When I am dead I hope it may be said: 'His sins were scarlet but his books were read.'"

Or perhaps something along the lines of what my favorite poet said before cashing in:
dylan thomas Pictures, Images and Photos
"I've had eighteen straight whiskies, I think that's the record ..."
~~ Dylan Thomas (1953)

Either way, I'm not ready to have my words be ... final. I haven't even gotten them all down yet!

I'm nearly 32, but I don't even know who the hell I am yet. I know that what I do is, in some capacity, what I am on this planet for, but there much more I want to, and need to, do. Novels. Poetry. More writing, more, more, more!

As I read more of the fantastic last words at http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/dying.html , there was some romanticism, even at death's door, and I'm a sucker for romanticism.

Such as:
"I love you Sarah. For all eternity, I love you."
~~ President James K. Polk to his wife (1849)

Or:
"Oh, I am not going to die, am I? He will not separate us, we have been so happy."
~~ Charlotte Bronte to her husband (1855)
Charlotte Bronte Quote Pictures, Images and Photos

I fell in love with the sweetest blog this evening and it made me feel kind of bad about how much romanticism isn't in my life. Which is a bit ironic, considering how much I love love and all its trappings.

Even that diminutive jerk* Napoleon had romance as the Reaper waited sickle poised for him when he said "Josephine..." before up and dying (1821.)

Bah. That, and all the morbid thoughts, are enough to keep this unfinished writer up tonight. At least I'll be able to keep trying to be quippy ...

"I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis."
~~ Humphrey Bogart (1957)
Martini Pictures, Images and Photos

* Nikki M. Mascali didn't know Monsieur Bonaparte personally, of course, but whilst researching for this blog, she kept picturing the Napoleon character in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" hogging all the water slides at Waterloo.

No comments: