)The curtains pushed aside
Show an old man in bed.
Fear lives in two dark eyes
Staring from his tired head.
His knuckled grip is strong,
He shakes like a sailor,
But his next breaths are long,
A high price for his labor.
Underneath his sun-beaten shell,
Sliding sinews bring bones upright.
What his muscle memory might tell
Given time before the birth of night.
The chart shows no sign of fever
And his heart beats just as it should,
The numbers say he’ll live forever,
All of the peaks and troughs look good.
My gut knows the answer,
But I ask anyway,
I am here to help you,
Why are you here today?
He says, my problem’s this,
Then looks me in the eye,
I’m just too tired to live
And I’m too afraid to die.
Stumble It!
