Death the Bureaucrat
by Aydin Akgün
In memory of Anthony Hecht
There is one form
for all—for you,
the rich, the poor.
The dates are set
from birth and can’t
be changed. So please,
respect these rules
and know your place.
Oh and, before
I forget, don’t try
to cut the line,
you really can’t
afford the fine.
Aydin Akgün is a novelist and poet. Born and raised in Izmir, Turkey, he graduated from the Lycée Saint Joseph and moved to the United States, where he received his BA in International Relations and French from the University of Nevada, Reno, and his MA in Creative Writing in poetry and fiction from Johns Hopkins University. He lives and works in Washington, DC.