Like a rotten log
half buried in the ground –
my life, which
has not flowered, comes
to this sad end.
Minamoto Yorimasa
1104-1180
Source
This translation comes from Japanese Death Poems: Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death.
my son wrote this before he took his life by suicide
Pamela,
It has been many years since I have looked at this poem. In combination with your comment about your son, I touch the pain that both of these humans must have felt. And many others, too.
I am sorry for your loss, I have children of my own and I know how much it would hurt me. I will light a candle for your son tonight, and I offer some of its precious light to you.
Phillip