He sits in astonishment at the words that are spoken,
And he cannot even breathe.
His attempts draw in only the brimstone burning
Acrid air that has accompanied him
As of late.
How can God take away yet another person
From his life?
There is only Hell, no Heaven.
No angels, no beautiful music.
The one man that gave him life,
He watches withering away-
His father, in his mind, he's not there,
His father, in his body, he is trapped,
And he can't remember the past,
And he doesn't believe in a future.
He watches his father disappearing
Inside himself,
And knows that he has promised
His own son that he will not leave him
In this way.
It's not a distinguished passing,
It's not what a man deserves,
But this is the life and death that
Everyone has left this once great man.
He can't handle the pain it's causing,
As he watches, a once great man slips into oblivion.
Robert J Nye (2008)
