Good Bye Mama
Her hallowed out eyes stare at some unseen image
On the wall opposite her bed.
Well, it's unseen by me, but she stares intently.
The stagnant stench of death surrounds us
We both know her end is near.
I feel the pressure of her bony fingers
As she tries to convey some message to me.
As I gaze at her once lovely face, she garbles incoherently.
I pull my chair closer, place a kiss on her wrinkled brow.
I put my head upon her frail chest
Listening to her faint, erratic heartbeat.
With superhuman strength, she pulls me to her.
I strain to hear the words coming from her
cracked, dry lips.
Clearly, audibly, I hear her say to me, "I love you."
After forty-five years I hear the three words I've yearned to hear.
She stares into my tear filled eyes and begs, "help me."
"I love you, I love you, I love you"...
Those words keep echoing in my brain.
A smile lights on her face as a soft sigh escapes
from her lips.
Arms release me, hanging lifelessly from the sides of her bed.
I sit staring at her lifeless form as my heart fills with pain.
I wipe at a single tear that somehow formed in her left eye.
As the plug dangles from my icy fingers
I whisper, "I love you too, Mama."
| Previous Poem | Next Poem |
