I’m sure she knew about nine to five 

It’s such a tragedy to me that even the good ones die

And on Tuesday afternoon I was in the checkout line 

When I saw the news 

Just one more thing to give the world the blues 

I’m not sure why these things come as a shock

Death is something that even the rich, the famous, the benevolent can’t stop 

In 2022 I read Run, Rose, Run

I didn’t know her music too well 

But oh, the story her life tells 

Death is like words spoken or published, can’t be undone 

Since I was a kid, I wondered where all the cosmetics and books and melodies go 

A soul caught in the undertow 

There is no escape for even the great 

Here in line, the world stops and thinks 

Maybe that’s the mark of a good life 

I thought about it when I waited among the headlines 

In a world full of strife 

Eventually for each of us it will be time 

So maybe share a book, hopefully stay married forever 

Be kind but clever 

Someone might read of you in the back pages or the headlines 

While they’re in the checkout line

Waiting for, thinking about – their own time