TIME OF DEATH.

an expected sequel to my poem "HOSPICE."

i cannot chase you

if every avenue

is a broken road

leading to 

a broken home.

i will not run

down darkened alleys

or swelling valleys

of moon and murder.

and here, you have chosen

to cut the line

for you or i,

i am unsure.

i'll sit by your chair

and wait for the mortician

to carry away

what was already gone.

to ask myself,

am i breathing?

or am i dying?

and the answer is...

a little of both.

Author's Note

You can read HOSPICE here: https://www.writerscafe.org/writing/emunahjunedays/2954331/

These things, despite being imminent, never hurt any less.

Reviews

[Lorry]

Yes, your authors note sums up perfectly how even knowing when death is near, it doesn't make the moment that it arrives any easier.
My Dads passing was imminent and I always remember the last conversation we had, which was about the news of 9/11. He died on the 16th and we were too late when the hospital called to tell us to come immediately, so his last word to me resonated even louder with his crackling gasp filled breath he shook his head and said "b******s!"
It isn't the word I would say describes my Dad or his language, but over the years since I have never heard anyone explain it more succinctly.

[emmajoygreen]

You words are the ingredients for living with the memory of the dead and dying. I was with my/our sister when she died, I was fifteen. My youngest brother and I were with our oldest sibling when he died. Thank the good Lord there suffering was held by diamorphine.. but even so, that still allowe a small sigh from the one.. and a slight movement of the head from another. Life allows memories to fade because that was what the one passed would want. BUT, try telling that to self when alone on a dark, dark night and there's weather thundering and rattling and... to put simply, childishly, ' not nice'.

Life, dying and death are the unholy Trinity. Thank the Lord for whatever else survives. YOur work is superb.

[Davidgeo]

Remember not to remember this down the line.

It always leads to cognitive dissonance.

[FlatDaddy]

Oh, girl, you have laid out a major part of your life for us, your peers, to review. We cannot condemn or extoll the virtue of your actions, but we do understand and support you. Life is so very hard, and we can be swept away by the floods of both good tides AND bad. Hang on, Emmy. The shore of your friends awaits, hands extended to you and we will pull you in.

[DIVYA]

A poem that carries the very essence of a dying relationship- gasping for its very last breath. We die and live in parts. You did such a suprb job of conveying the finality, the brokenness and also the introspection that goes on within, in that dying and hopeless situation. Just wonderful!

[Chris Shaw]

Cuts to the quick.

am i breathing
or am i dying?

I perfectly understood the sense of loss here. An impactful piece of writing. Visually strong and felt. Thank you for sharing.

Chris

[S€H@J]

This one hit hard—especially the ending. That ‘a little of both’ gave me chills. The imagery’s strong, though the middle stumbles a bit with rhythm. Still, it lingers—like a bruise you keep pressing