Breathe

You lay here at your ending 

And wonder how you got here so soon

You're frightened under starched white sheets

Surrounded by a curtain in this warm, sterile room

You look at me for comfort

I hold your thin skinned, clammy white hand 

And whisper in your ear so you might understand

"Soon... It is time for you to leave

So relax... and slowly breathe"

You're chest, like a damaged pump

Raises... Stops and starts

Your eyes tell a story... A tale of yesterday 

You are not here alone

Your son sits beside you in this moment

In his silence, he tries his best to pray

He squeezes your thin skinned, shaking hand

This is how all life was planned

"So now you are free to leave...

Just take your time... and try to breathe"

The mask you are wearing, frightens me

You now a stranger

The mother i had, has slipped away

The shell of a body remaining here... But your spirit has gone

And your death now put on blatant display

I remove your fingers... Rigid in mine

And i whisper to you for the very last time

"It is done. You are ready to leave...

No longer then...  Do you need to breathe"