he told me

do you fear death?

he told me

 

that those who crave death are fearless
only until
they are facing their very desire
and he told me
that those who fear death will fear it
'til it stares them in their face
both times they will feel the very opposite
of how they’ve felt their entire lives.
for the fearless man
who has never thought
beyond the want of death
is finally faced
with their every wish -
it’s overwhelming.
this strikes fear in place of where once
there was none
and because it only happens
when one is staring down
the barrel of a gun
the fear comes on
too fast to handle
crashing over them like a wave.
whereas those who fear death

will live in fear 

of the one thing

that they cannot prevent
and because they fear death above all else
when death comes,

there are no other fears

save to face what is ahead

and they are left 

virtually fearless

and it is Freeing.
his friend craved death, he said, and he died afraid.

Author's Note

I converted a gem of wisdom I was told one day into a poem, the tone matches his own in which he told it to me.