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Writing in the Afterlife.

Publisher	Modern Poetry Association
Publication	Poetry
Subject	Literature/writing
Format	Magazine/Journal
ISSN	0032-2032
Issues per Year	12
Volume	181
Issue	1
Published	2002-10-01

Role	Type	Name
Author	n/a	Billy Collins

WRITING IN THE AFTERLIFE

   I imagined the atmosphere would be clear,
   shot with pristine light,
   not this sulphurous haze,
   the air ionized as before a thunderstorm.

   Many have pictured a river here,
   but no one mentioned all the boats,
   their benches crowded with naked passengers,
   each bent over a writing tablet.

   I knew I would not always be a child
   with a model train and a model tunnel,
   and I knew I would not live forever,
   jumping all day through the hoop of myself.

   I had heard about the journey to the other side
   and the clink of the final...

[This journal article is 271 words long]