He lay in that hospital bed like it was already his tomb.
Hardly breathing,
Hardly moving, save for the wisps of hair that some overhead fan
Would occasionally raise with more life than he had left.
His eyes stayed closed, as if deep in sleep
Until I, passing by, was draw to his bed.
Then, they opened.

And this man with scarcely the strength left to blink
Smiled,
More with his eyes than his mouth.
More with his soul than with his body.
He held my gaze within crystal blue eyes
That had become deep oceans
With all they had seen.

A single moment lasted an eternity as I swam in deep blue.
Searching for some sort of truth that I knew not whether I would find.
When I returned, I wasn't sure if I had gained something
Or left something behind.
Then the infinite eyes released a final breath
Then left, somehow, as if they had simply been taking a quick stop
Inside of the man.

And he returned to his bed, his tomb,
And I stayed one more moment before turning to walk again down the hall
On my way to more pressing things.