I saw him laying there
still, so very still
I thought he was dead
gone
already passed through
to the other side

Then his chest rose
up, aghast
struggling for breath
his eyes winced
legs pulling up into his chest
feet flailing and twitching

I could feel
the pain that ran through
his fragile, still body
cold, small, and grey
and I stood back from his bedside
my eyes still focused
on his shaking frame

Death hung heavy in the air that day
I could smell it on his skin
God was waiting
to take him home
but still he held on,
breathing and stopping
breathing and stopping

Life is strange sometimes
made even stranger by the reality
of death
of opening oneself
to the never ending abyss
to the ever after when the rainbow has passed

Goodbye, love
I'll be seeing you,
on the other side