Deodar

He had prepared to die.
All his worries were relieved 
After receiving official documents
And an identification bracelet
From a medical research department
Of a major university 
Accepting him as a gift donor.
He laminated the papers;
And proudly placed them 
On the  fire place mantle
Alongside his diplomas
And expired passports,
framed pictures of world leaders
he had entertained during the prime
of his life.
He wasn't that old, except in mind,
Lengthened by many travels and experiences
Felt somewhat ancient and fossilized
Where thoughts of death clutched his mind. 
Nothing was left to chance.

Packed neatly away in a
trunk beside his bed were,
certificates of achievements,
Metals he received and discharge
Papers from two forces of the military;
And his last will testament.
A planner and doer most of his life,
Obsessed with certitude

made his world an ordered province.
He had buried two sons - war heroes,
and a wife of fifty years.
He had his telephone disconnected,
Gas and electricity turned off -
resorted to burning candles for night light.
Ate canned foods and took daily supplements. 

Then came a Warner -minutes before

blinking awake, a dream nestled in his brain,
a premonitory  declaration of death.
He was prepared for death
(surely in his sleep)

He was sure to keep a shaved head,

clipped  finger and toenails;
And the nightly rituals of preparation;
a soothing shower and hygienic concerns.
And, before retiring, setting aside clean
underwear, socks and favorite suit,
starched shirt and tie.

Before turning in he'd tack the note
on the outside of his door for his friend
who lived across the hall
to knock by ten A.M.
to see if he was alive or dead.
His sleeping aid -  a glass of wine,
Then off to sleep perhaps sweet dreams 
 But fate is not predictable
as death is inevitable.

As he snored away the night
A fire raced throughout the building.
without consequence, burning all in its path.