You didn’t ask

To be an icon

To be a symbol of childlike innocence

In the midst of despair

You didn’t ask

For your father to be in a coffin

For you to salute as it passed by.

You didn’t ask for the spotlight

You didn’t ask

For an easy bar exam

But you also didn’t ask

For the entire country to know that you flunked it twice

All your life

You accepted with humility

Good fortune you didn’t ask for

And you accepted with courage

Tragedy you would never have asked for

And then you made one final choice

To fly into a dark and starless sky

Like Icarus into a black hole

You did not ask

To fall into the cold and ruthless water below

And now you are in a place

Where there is bliss

You would not have known to ask for

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