hospice volunteer
each cackling, hacking, labored breath
whispers the silent
message of enough;
the look in sagging, wrinked eyes
piercing, fierce enough for clarity:
wishes of what was and is to come.
when you were young, did you dance?
did you sing and laugh and play?
the smiling couple, was that you?
names and faces and dates forgotten
but the love is trapped still.
mother, sister, daughter:
i sit here as them as we talk.
for me, holding hands for the first time
but for you as natural as family.
would you and i as children play?
when that wheezing breath was laughter
and the wrinkled eyes were bright?
the new silence is comfortable,
and slow breaths deepen into sleep,
i’ve come here for you, to try and lift you
beyond the aching of your body
yet my heart is lighter as I gently
unclasp your hand from mine.
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