Matron at the Lodge
said she wanted me
to see a person dying
to prepare me
for what might come.
She took me to a room
on the upper floor
where an elderly lady
lay on her bed.
It was a woman
I knew called Ethel
she lay there eyes closed
her breathing heavy
with what Matron called
a death rattle.
I stood there
in a dark room
with just a lamp on.
I waited listening
to the breathing
looking at Ethel
Then the breathing stopped
and just silence.
Matron felt for a pulse
there was none.
She's gone
Matron said.
She showed me what to do
to prepare the body
for the undertakers.
She closed the jaw
and bandaged it up.
She tied the legs together
and placed the hands
over the breast.
I watched and helped.
Poor Ethel
and her eternal rest.
Jun 3, 2025
Jun 3, 2025 at 4:26 PM UTC
Matron at the Lodge
said she wanted me
to see a person dying
to prepare me
for what might come.
She took me to a room
on the upper floor
where an elderly lady
lay on her bed.
It was a woman
I knew called Ethel
she lay there eyes closed
her breathing heavy
with what Matron called
a death rattle.
I stood there
in a dark room
with just a lamp on.
I waited listening
to the breathing
looking at Ethel
Then the breathing stopped
and just silence.
Matron felt for a pulse
there was none.
She's gone
Matron said.
She showed me what to do
to prepare the body
for the undertakers.
She closed the jaw
and bandaged it up.
She tied the legs together
and placed the hands
over the breast.
I watched and helped.
Poor Ethel
and her eternal rest.
