I want to share a secret,
About the gentle radiance
Of those last years
So clear, so soft, so good,
That even the doctors
And the visitors who come and go,
Stop to take a breath
And will never forget you.
You are not ill
Illness is our label
Inscribed by our fears.
You know no illness nor wellness
Just there-ness.
No fear of death
No anxieties of what the future may bring,
Or may not bring.
No pain, no blame,
No loss, no regret
No anger at those who abandoned you
No time, no purpose
But the gentle kiss of life itself
The grace that comes when all else goes.
To what do you listen to, so intently?
Is it the music of your heartbeat,
Tapping celestial rhythms
On the gates of your soul?
Or is it the humming of bees
On that summer’s day?
Or the barking of your dogs,
That only you can quiet,
Or your fingers in their thick fur?
Or dreams of play and play of dreams
The kaleidoscope of past in present
Uninterrupted by our harsh reality.
As I lie next to you,
And feel this life flow through
And watch your face,
No frown, no wrinkles,
Just open presence,
Then, like the moon that shines between passing clouds,
Beams a joyous smile,
That vanishes so fast,
That I do not know if I really saw it
And now, again, you teach me,
About a life without fear, without walls, without end,
Just as you did when I was born
And, like then, share your happiest years.