#2 Dying, Not Dying

#2
Dying, Not Dying


1) Almost Dying

My sister and I talked about
people experiencing being close to dying.
How sometimes they would wake up
and change how they lived,
really appreciate each day.
I remember us saying, "I want that.....
without the almost dying part."
And we laughed.

2) Dying

It was October.
"I might have cancer," she told me.
"The doctors don't know yet."
Within a month my sister
was in the hospital.
It felt like a tidal wave,
rushing in and sweeping her away.
Sometime in December
they diagnosed her.
A week later she was gone,
the day after Christmas.
She never got to the part
where she could appreciate not dying.

3) Not Dying

Huddling in my house,
fearing trips to the grocery store,
and worrying about symptoms
I wouldn't normally notice.
A sore throat? Mild cough? A little warm?
I am doing everything I can
not to get sick or die.

4) The Epiphany

I recall now that conversation
with my sister.
I have a fantasy of a world wide shift.
I envision people across the world thinking,
"I could've died. Too many people did die,"
we would collectively say.
"I need to appreciate each day,
live more, be a better person."

And the world would be a better place.