Hospital

Your ragged breathing marked the dwindling time.The nurses shuttled in and left the roomchecking your morphine drip and vital signs.The children came, said their goodbyes, and soonwe were alone again.

                I held your handbut you were slipping down into that seawhere blind creatures scuttle along the sandand light enters only through God's mercy.A rosary of sweat beaded your faceas life went on in the vast world outside.Somewhere in the soft night lovers embraced,upstairs a child was born while your breath died,gasping as she was pulled into the roomout of the sea in which you were consumed.