The Song of Death

The oxygen tank, a dark melody
Two notes drawn out
Over and over, a warning:
The Song of Death
Your whispered sighs, your fitful moans,
The groans released as you lie dying.

To see you healthy again:
I shut my eyes, I cover my face
Like I did when I was a girl
When Winnie-the-Pooh
Dropped the rock on Eeyore.

You've told me the story a thousand times
Oh, to hear it a thousand and one!
But your voice doesn't work,
Your words don't come.
Never again will I hear you speak
Outside of my head.

All I hear now is
The Song of Death:
The ticking of the clock
Inching forward,
Second by second
Impenetrable, unstoppable
The hands of time irreversible-

What's coming is on its way.