the other day
I visited my aunt
in the hospital

her face had become bony and sharp
she looked like suffering incarnate
with a mien you see
  etched into
on crucifixes
over the centuries

I guess that at this stage
traveling into a world
   without pain
is a desire
   strong and simple
those still anchored
   in this world
cannot understand

longing for peace and quiet
to rest your bones
   forever
closing the story of your life

and leave others
to make sense of it

           * *