A Few More Minutes

his lips are chapped and faded;
his eyes are bloodshot, red
and as she gently grasps his hand
so many things are being left unsaid.

his face is turned away from hers
so she doesn't see him cry.
the doctors gave them free time
to say their final, painful goodbye,

but how does one go about
saying a farewell at death?
with each syllable he pronounces
he struggles deeply for breath.

he tells her not to worry
for he will be looking down
at her, from his spot in the heavens
where he will be king of the town.

but what is running through her mind
are all the things they never did.
he never taught her to play guitar
like he promised when she was a kid.

he never took her on the boat ride;
he never took her back to the zoo.
he never saw paris with her.
she never said a proper I love you.

and all the times they spent together
now mean not a thing at all.
every second, minute, hour:
she watches as they tumble and fall.

and she would end all that, she knows;
she would give it up on a whim
if only god would grant her
a few more minutes with him.

his heart is slowing, beat by beat
and he shuts his eyes tight.
both of them know by now:
he will not be surviving the night.

she dims the lights for him
and shut the hospital door.
she turns his face towards hers,
for she will soon look upon it no more.

all that she was, it came from him,
and the seeds of love that he planted.
but how many times had she forsaken it?
how much had she taken for granted?

if she could never again kiss a man,
drink a coffee, or buy a dress
she would never take it for granted;
she'd view it as a giant success.

all her jewelry, all her possessions:
she would throw them all away
for a chance to wake up tomorrow
and see his face for one more day.

even her own life, if she could:
she would give it up on a whim
if only god would grant her
a few more minutes with him.

the green-painted walls are revolting,
and the stench of death is biting
at any who wishes to sniff it,
and her grief shocks her like lightning.

yet she knows she must stay strong;
if not for him, then for her own heart.
but despite her forced calmness,
she feels her life ripping apart.

he is slipping out of consciousness
while talking about his dear old man.
and with a smile on his face, he passes
into another place, another land.

then the tears flow from her face:
creating a river, in which she could swim.
despite her desperate pleading, she could not
spend a few more minutes with him.


~J.V.Harker~
~29 December 2008~