his life is fleeting
his spirit walking away
cricket cries break through the veil of his eternal night
each timid step he makes on brittle bones
glued together with a poisonous elixir that drips and overflows
pooling around his icicle grey eyes
it strips away his beauty one strand of wispy white at a time
he still thinks of atoms and how they can be split fractions of infinite grace
locking hands scooping away time beyond
reason and the limits of space
he wonders who will guard over his love
she is his heart, all of his answered prayers
he was lucky to find her in the maze of his life
he found her while navigating
through poverty and pain
she took his hand, married him urgently
reckless they were not
they loved and hated
never betrayed
they have bobbed in the same lifeboat
slept the same cloudless heavy slumber
together, one body in time.
she is gone
her memory
her mind
he reminds her of who she once was
feeds her
buys her elegant dresses
silky pink lipstick
he brushes her hair
he makes sure she is respected
even though to others she is long lost
his spirit is going
she can’t surrender to reality
or recall why
he is sick
destined to die
it won’t take long
time will not stop
suspended, held in one breath
before heartbreak
before the cold set in
when they were young and carefree
Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash
