Carve the epitaph
For I’ve striven all I can
And nothing more can liven
My lukewarm affections

For the empath
Is a fire-bound ghost
He has slipped from my grasp
And left me
Devoid of whit and warmth

Carve the epitaph
For nothing rings true
And bold in these words
My exhaustion is king

Let me sail in retreat
In a church bell’s laboring
Death-bearing song
Into a tragic and merciful ease