Japanese Maple ... some thoughts whilst dying, by Clive James

Thank you to Irene, from the Death Cafe in Albany, for sharing this heart-warming poem by Clive James.

“After being diagnosed with leukaemia and emphysema in 2010, the writer and broadcaster Clive James said that his terminal diagnosis led him to "start saying goodbye" through his poetry. He died in November 2019.

Speaking to The Independent newspaper, James said: "You have to have lived for a long time and be approaching the end of your life before you can see the world as I see it now, so I’m quite pleased with that even though I’m a bit terrified because it really is the mark of the end, isn’t it? One’s hoping to make a good exit."

Dying Matters - Hospice UK