by LJ Frank

immeasurable ages

transpired   

before he emerged

from his mother’s womb

no different than the incalculable number 

that preceded him

but what If he knew in the first moments

he only had minutes or hours 

or days

or even a fated number of years

to breathe and savor this brief life

knowing all would be vapor

in the unforgiving flicker 

of a dying candle…

or would fortune allow him

an alternative

would he desire such

if his body and mind 

were disabled 

an unrecognizable reflection 

in the mirror…

will his spirit ache as it approaches the end

and will he be aware

for where is rebirth or resurrection –

except in a belief created and ritualized

by others 

in robes to hide their nakedness

with words invented 

through imagination and inspiration 

fomented and unleashed

and still 

the residue of his energy disperses

like innumerable others 

crowding the air

only equal in death…

but wait

let him think about this

would it help 

if he charted a different course

now

just in case

while entertaining a dream

for another reality…

just one more 

conversation with another

before intimacy fades

lips to kiss

wait…please…

let him catch just more breath

words and thoughts echo

in his head

wait

just hold his hand

just one more sip of wine

so, he can feel it trickle down his throat

but his glass tips over

another taste dissipates…

allow him to touch your heart

and whisper to your soul

for his plead is for you

to hold him

in your arms

while he catches 

his final breath.

.