Dying Nicely (Poetry)

Is there any foolproof way to do it well? —
far too vague to plan as far as I can tell
too often messy — rushed and uncontrolled
too little time before the bell is tolled

A shame no warning memo’s sent out first
‘Next Thursday something vital’s bound to burst ...’
then there’s a chance at least to get things straight
before a soul’s sent off to meet his fate

It’s true we know the day is sure to come
but leaving quite so many things undone
or half-completed seems a dreadful waste
clocks beat hands down however hard we’ve raced

Would it upset the universe to lend
a bit of slack — prove gracious at the end
so our house is left in order — neat and nice
before we trek the road to paradise?