Death
Death is worry hanging heavy
on the bones of bone thin patients
dreaming of a death sentence.
Death is urine dripping slow
down the dogged catheter
–300 ml per day
of rust brown suffering.
Death is snakes and ivy tubes
twisted round a constellation
of crumpled sheets of skin.
Death is family feuds flaring
and dissolving
at each turn of the dial
of a dialysis machine.
Death is gloriously ugly;
it’s runny stool and vomit
chewed out food and dry cough
smeared in an irregular pattern
over our weekend routine.
Death is hauntingly beautiful;
each smile may be the last
each wide-eyed stare may be reflecting
city lights of the final evening.
Death is a perfect circle;
it’s euphoric hullaballoo
every time she takes a shaky step
every time she swallows a lump of food
every time she is potty-trained anew.
Death is profound
Death is everyday
Death is irksome
Death is patient
Death is expensive
But most surprisingly,
death is sneaky glances
at the guilty wall-clock;
A welcome guest
stuck in trans-universal traffic.