My Letter to the World

THIS is my letter to the world,
That never wrote to me,—
The simple news that Nature told,
With tender majesty.
Her message is committed
To hands I cannot see;
For love of her, sweet countrymen,
Judge tenderly of me!

from Emily Dickenson

Pathographies are illness narratives.  As we consider death and dying, we hear from physicians, social workers, psychologists, ethicists, hospice personnel, lawyers, politicians, economists -- but rarely from the dying themselves. That is why, when an eloquent voice appears, we should pay attention.  See: Goodbye2015….Hello 2016!