If you are reading this… it means I am dead.
Know that I was not an old man,
Simply a rapidly ageing one.
Out of control, I bumped into a disease
I wasn’t yet ready to meet and greet.
Yet became my constant companion.
A part of my life as true as the love
I hold for all of you, my dear ones.
Time then caught up with me quickly.
Still you tried not to notice,
The deep creases on my forehead
The new tremors of my hands
The sickly spots on my face
The last strands of my crown
The slowed pace of my stroll
There was so much to do and see.
Give my daughters to their husbands,
Play with my future grandchildren,
Hold my wife taking in our empty nest,
Prepare for a future just for us again.
Maybe buy a caravan to go places
Other than the hospital two miles away.
Know that I was just an aged body,
A young spirit not ready to leave.
But I saw my son coming to get me –
The one I held only for few moments
Before lowering him six feet under.
He gave me the strength to let go,
And wisdom to keep looking after you..
I witnessed a young man succumbing to health problems at the hospital. He lives on through his wife and two young daughters. Maybe I am trying to capture his thoughts… Abhra has us writing letters at dVerse. Head over to read a few more.
some lines brought back memories….and some of my own dreams…good one..
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Thanks Saya.
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I am reading this. Plz don’t die. 😛
You hav captured the old man’s thought beautifully. 🙂
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Thank you Amrit!
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Wonderful writing here. Am glad we got to share part of his story!
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So am I! Thank you for commenting…
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how amazingly are these thoughts captured.. nice Prajakta .
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Thank you!
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it’s never easy… my husband died at 29, and yes, he lives through his sons
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I am sorry for your loss. I am sure he is looking out for all of you.
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Beautifully captured his essence. Very dignified.
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Thanks a lot!
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This is beautiful.
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Thanks Tonya!
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A touching poem! There are many ways people live on, through their beloved children is one of them.
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Thank you Gabriella…
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I work in a skilled nursing/rehab center where death is very much a part of our lives. We have seen many whose health long ago failed, followed by memory, who have outlived all whom they once loved and passed alone. We have seen younger men and women in their 40’s, 50’s 60’s who have succumbed to illness and disease, long before their time should’ve come. Your letter above touched my heart, I can understand and relate to it.
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Thank you Ginny for sharing your experiences. Death before their time comes is tragic… So many lost possibilities!
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This is very sad, but captured so very well. Life is short, often too short. You gave voice to someone who left before his time….a voice we can all appreciate and relate to, I think.
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Thank you Mary… I am glad you could relate with this.
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In the grand scheme of things, manifest or influenced by our own entity/soul between lives, as we join karma groups, or serve out promises made in past lives, it is beyond us while incarnate to understand, to fathom the why of things. A terrific & thoughtful & emotionally creative take the prompt.
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Thank you so much for your comment Glenn. In front of my eyes, in a matter of seconds – an entire family was broken – without knowing the why, as you rightly said!
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Aww. What a touching poem.
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Thank you
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Seeing someone young die due to disease is especially difficult. I think you captured the thoughts of the one who left so early well.
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Thank you Jennifer
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as a cancer survivor, I can relate.
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I would love to know your experience, Bill. So much to learn and hope.
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sure – I’ll put some links to what I wrote on my nonfiction blog. Also email me anytime at bill _ gncs at hotmail dot com ( no spaces ) and I’ll be glad to share what I know.
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heartbreaking… hate to see people die young. I wish we all had a guaranteed amount of years here – at least 70… well told
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I don’t know about guarantee… but I would like to leave ready and at peace.
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Very well done. I was a hospice nurse and worked with death and dying most of my 50 year nursing career. This rings true. You did well to enter that person’s experience.
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Thank you Victoria… Your experiences will go beyond words.
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This brought tears to my eyes in that last stanza. I didn’t expect that.
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There is always a hidden story in our lives, isn’t it?
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Prajakta,you know what..you could really feel the emotions,pain and read the mind of the patient. Trust me.. to write such content is not easy. One has to absorb the pain to write something like this. (y) (y)
Emotionally Creative.
I can see
I can see
I can feel
I can feel
Wish your health heal(s)
But
God has struck a deal:((
cheers!!
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Upen! This feedback was so heartfelt and encouraging. Thank you! Somehow I was numb when I saw this unfolding… I don’t know why. Not thinking about it helped, but no way can I ever forget the scene and the emotions they were going through.
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Certain things stay green in our mind,they make us sensitive and emotional too.
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Well having a child of 51 days.. and holding him without life support until he takes his last breath..
certainly brings tears to me.. to hear of the story of an aged man
who remembers the child
who did not
make
it
too.. in eyes of death
in hope
of life…:)
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. It gets better with time I am told.
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Oh My–this is so well done; moving, without being melodramatic. I love it.
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Thank you! I firmly believe that drama kills the emotions.
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It is easy to over-do.
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I think you have written this beautifully.
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Thank you!
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This is a poignant write. I think you’ve captured the feelings and thoughts of an untimely death very well.
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Thanks Mary
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What can I say that hasn’t been said already? Very moving – all those possibilities, all those future plans wiped out…
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Thank you. It is tragic.
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This is heart touching, a beautiful tribute to the life lost I’d say…
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Thank you for your kind comments.
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oh heck that brought tears to my eyes… so sad.. but so glad that it gave him the strength to let go
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Thank you Claudia…
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A very touching piece, and well written. Wow…it’s all I can say at the moment.
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Thanks a lot for commenting!
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Prajakta – I had goosebumps reading this. Beautifully written..
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Thanks a lot Parul…
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Prajakta, I can sense you witnessing this young man with his failing health had a huge impact on you emotionally. It really shows the frailty of life.
You shared this very powerfully. A reminder not to take my life for granted, and to embrace my family and remind them of my love for them. I am so fortunate.
Thank you so much for sharing!
~Carl~
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And so is your family Carl to have you around. Thank you so much for your words… I think unconsciously, this incident did keep playing on my mind – it has been a year now. Maybe this was my way of closure.
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Beautiful and incredibly powerful. A wonderful “keep on living even though I am gone” letter.
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Thank you Bryan!
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You’ve captured the old man’s thought beautifully.:) Plan and simple yet heart-wrenching.!
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Thank you Archita…
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This is painfully beautiful and so touching.
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Than you Kritika!
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