For Bill
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("Simple Mind", 2011, original acrylic)
For Bill
A day spent with you actively dying
Or rather in this case rapidly fading away
Almost ten decades weighing heavy
On all our hearts
Only to have you rally
Just as I’m leaving for home
To lonely dogs and my own bed
So we part on a lucid note
And Carol decides to stay
Something in your rattling breath
Saying it might be your last together
Out in the hall a fellow resident
You know, the one who wears all his hats
Stacked on his head
Wheels his chair around
Perennial coffee cup in hand
Eager to visit while everyone else
Remains firmly in their nests
A night owl fearful of sleeping
For fear of missing something
Not sure if or how he knows
We are here for you
And your lingering last day
He volunteers these words of consolation;
“He’ll get there eventually”
As if it’s the obvious destination
Of us all.
And I head home alone
Unsure what tomorrow will bring
But sure today will never be again
To dogs eager to come inside
Reluctant to sleep
And possibly miss something important
In the human world
To a wee dram of whisky
And a spin of George Harrison’s
Achingly beautiful classic
All Things Must Pass
“Forgetting to give back
Isn’t it a pity…”
So Bill
To your good health
In the moments that remain
And to your safe passage
Beyond all that remains
When the cup is drained
What once was full
Slainte Mhath!
(10/12/23)
Copyright © James Moore | Year Posted 2023
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