Yeah, even you!
Saying goodbye
to the dying
has a cumulative effect
on your soul.
Sitting at a bedside
holding the limp hand
of a loved one
once known,
still cherished,
takes its toll.
And doing this more than once,
doing it over and over,
one loss and one goodbye
to the next
can’t help but
take a piece of you away each time.
The watcher waits,
witness
sitting silently,
perhaps softly chanting prayers
but holding your heartbreak,
despair, and grief at bay
until the vigil is passed.
There is a terrible cost to this
and you won’t know the price
until it’s time to pay.
And you discover an amazing
Clichéd truth:
Nobody
On their death bed
Laments not spending more time
At the fuckin’ office.
