No Raging, Please

Go pleasantly into that good night,

or at least as quietly and soberly as possible,

for, for crying out loud, what good is it

to rage against the dying of the light?

Think of the neighbors; if you have any, friends;

if not, yourself for Christ's sake

and the world's; make amends

for work below par;

at the very least, lay off the jar.

The important thing is to calm your voice

and recognize that you have a choice,

not in whether you return to dust,

but between making a big racket about it

and not: dying wise, in other words,

which is probably more comfortable too.