This defense of death by Rilke still holds a strange power over me, with its aphoristic quality. Perhaps these words resonate – despite bordering on the cliché – because of their inevitability. Life will give you mixed signals, frustrate you with its ambivalence – yes, you can count on me for anything but just now I am in over my head. Yet like a loyal friend death offers an eternal bond, says yes and follows through. In the face of forever, Death reaches out to hold you by the hand. I would like to believe Rilke’s conviction and follow its lead un-fearfully. I try to resign myself to the eventuality of death but time and time again, I am haunted by its lengthy list of strategies.