Damnation or Paradise

I imagine you're always busy
but I wont take up too much of your time
I'll even put my hands together
and kneel by the bed if it helps

But please
could you do me one small favor
and answer a question
that's been bothering me
for a lifetime
I'd just like to know
if there's life after death?

I mean, why keep it a secret
if there really is something else
Or is there a strange satisfaction
in making people wait
to find out what comes next

I'm not asking about Heaven or Hell
a yes or a no will do just fine
and I totally promise
to keep the answer to myself
Who would believe me anyway--
it's not as if I'm asking you
to rewrite the Bible
not that you wrote the book yourself--
although you probably dictated
more than a line or two here and there

Or is it the truth
that you've never been real
only existing in all those people's minds
and the best I can ever hope for
is a mouth silenced by dust
away in some quiet green field
far away from the madness of life