Standing Ovation

In an instant, it all made sense.
It is as if I haven't lived
Up until this very moment;
Or like every moment I've lived
Has been for this moment alone.
The lights dim and the curtains close,
I get to come to terms with death
And see it how it truly is:

A roaring, standing ovation
For the performance of a lifetime.

I was daydreaming about meeting my oshi (Ninomae Ina'nis) and dressing nice to impress her. I don't want to go into detail about the whole scenario, but after meeting her this came to mind. I think it's pretty nice imagery. Maybe death really is like a standing ovation for a magnificent life, but I guess it depends on how you live your life? If I ever meet Ina, I do feel like I can die happy.

I wrote it as 8 verses with 8 syllables because of the octopus theme of Ina, with the final 2 verses making it a perfect 10 with the final message, with the last verse having 9 syllables, breaking the pattern, because death---the end---no matter how glorious, still feels wrong. The poem totals 81 syllables, a nod to Ina's last name, Ninomae, written as the kanji for 一 (one). I actually saw a clip today where she made a joke about that, specifically with the number 81 (and 313) and her name, so it's not even as much of a stretch as you might think!