I Won'T Go Gentle Into That Goodnight Poem by John Thorkild Ellison

When I think of my increasing age
I'm filled with a surge of impotent rage,
How dare the gods who rule the earth
Think so little of men and what their lives are worth? !

I could cheat my fate, I could take my own life,
I could end it all with the blade of a knife,
Sometimes I think it would be better that way
And I don't give a damn what the priests may say!

The gradual erosion of body and soul
Has put my character on parole,
Do I have the courage to last it out?
Will I die with a whimper or a defiant shout?

Death takes from me the stars and flowers
And all my rich and meaningful hours!
No-one ever thinks they will die like this
Without the comfort of their mother's kiss! !

I'd like to know if the God exists
Who laughs at men when they slash their wrists,
I'd like to sentence HIM to death
And I curse him with my vey last breath! !