Their Last Days (Poem-A-Day Challenge Day 13)

Prompt: Last

When my grade school teacher talked about death,
she contemplated judgment
Standing in front of a three way mirror
that reflected the state of her soul.
About two years later,
she died in an accident
driving on an icy road.

Whenever someone took their own life,
I contemplated hell.
Most of those victims kept their struggles hidden.
Their hearts eternally separated from hope
Completely shut down from everything
It’s never a good day to die
because they always leave hurt behind.

Something I learned from those who die of old age
is that more often than not, they wait for it.
They can see death coming at some point
My professor knew after a couple of falls.
My grandmother waited ten years after my grandpa.
Cancer patients find out through doctors
But it was never in their control.

There’s a strange timing to death.
To those who wait for its arrival,
it arrives at just the right time.
Their last days inevitable in hindsight
In the present moment, though,
it’s never convenient.
It’s always sudden.