Right
there he sat, so tensed with pain,
He fought
to breathe, then breathe again,
Disease
his body wracked in full,
But
through it still we hoped he'd pull.
At first
he fought with dignity,
The
end he hoped he'd one day see,
But
then the pain o'ercame his will
And
now he lies lifeless and still.
Before
he went he prayed to die,
But
death seemed bent to pass him by
And
leave him here to thrust about
And
writhe in pain with no way out.
His kids
stood by to do their part,
Although
it cut them to the heart
To see
their dad so sick and poor
Knowing
each day brought troubles more.
His wife
had gone some years before
And
crossed the wild and restless shore,
By her
side through it all he stood
And
did for her all that he could.
His time
would come, that he had known,
Without
her he faced death alone;
He'd
missed her, for he loved her so,
Now
as she went he soon would go.
The time
was drawing near for him,
The
light of life was growing dim,
He wished
to leave his mortal nest
And
find in death a peaceful rest.
The man,
who years before was strong,
Was
singing now his farewell song;
A wretched
tune of agony,
From
which he longed to be set free.
He screamed
and cried and wished to go
And
leave the pain of life below,
Finding
somehow the sweet release
That
let's one into silent peace.
Late
one ev'ning when all was dark
His
light went out, leaving no spark,
The
body once so filled with pain
Was
now the home of peace again.
..........H. L. Gradowith..........
06-19-2001
(Revised from a May 1, 1997 version).
This
poem was written about the passing of my grandfather, Wayne Smith.
As the lines indicate, it was a long and painful death. I have hesitated
to share the thoughts with others, because quite frankly they are very
painful to read. However, it just may be that there are others out
there who are experiencing the same thing we did and somehow I hope that
the thoughts expressed in the song will assist you in dealing with the
situation. Tim
Gradowiths
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