the expression
on the face of people
close to death
is different

their eyes look elsewhere
they seem to see
a world alien to us
yet eerily familiar
   a place we have known
   to exist
   but never acknowledged it
   to be important
   for ourselves

they will not tell us
what they see
    their lives fast-forward
like films
    a brighter future
   the blackness of darkness

we will not know
until we ourselves
have that same look
on our face

also
unable to tell