July 20, 2014 TheSunday Whirl #170/Do Not Distrub

Do Not Disturb

Words written

Songs sung

A life hangs in the balance

All day long the music played

It would have taken

A little more than magic

To make my world all right

On warm summer nights

Toads sang ‘Guarrumph’

In a fortissimo tone

Then the old toad

Jumped away

The bees buzzed

And swarmed over

The honeysuckle

At the forest’s edge

Fireflies sparkled

Playing tag

In competition

With the stars up

In the heavens

...who was brighter

It would not be long...

Until the sun would set

My happiness would go away

It would all be over

The days passed

Far too quickly

The clock stopped

My brain on fire

Trying to understand

A life was ending

Passions folded 

Put away like cool linens

That morning when we arrived

She looked up from her work

There was no question

We could see it in her eyes

She had been waiting for us

The music had ended

A sign hung on the door

‘Do not disturb’

This peaceful room

My Son has gone away

July 19, 2014

Note:  This is about the time my Son was dying, I was aware of the honeysuckle growing everywhere, the scent intoxicating.   I was reminded of my childhood, warm summer nights filled with fireflies (There may have been fireflies in Baltimore, but I didn’t see any, except in my memory?).

That morning my Sister and I, arrived at the hospital, there was a woman at the desk, we had not seen her before, but it was apparent, she was waiting for us.  She explained that Jim had died just minutes before.  I had been told, ‘Children and very independent people usually die when their parents leave the room, or before they return.'  Jim was my child (and would always be in life and in death) and a very independent person.  Though saddened, I was not surprised to find he had left before we returned.