these past few days i've been visited
by old friends and family alike,
offering words, for what else is
there to offer to a dying man.
this -- the act of ceasing to be,
it's something we ponder about
in our youth, questioning what it
will be like to finally reach the end.
some of us older folk take to it
easier than others -- some, like me,
never really come to terms with it,
knowing full well there could be nothing after.
if you've ever fallen asleep,
and thought about the very act itself,
becoming aware of how you close your eyes,
drift away, only to open them hours later...
that is what i feel now, as i close my eyes
with my family all around me,
both of us with our questions,
wondering if i'll open them again.
