ONE WEEK AGO

Time goes by like a never ending hour glass,
Each second ticks as slow as a falling grain of sand.

…They call me in.

The doctor draws my blood,
He tries to make small talk (in effort to get my mind elsewhere).
When they’re done I head to my car…

Not a clever thing to do.

I made a turn for the freeway,
And start to feel faint.

Darkness blinded my vision,
And as I tried to concentrate,
Two bright lights came my way…
All was dark once more.


HOURS LATER

I woke up to an unfamiliar mourn.
I turned and saw my mother knelt down at my bedside,
Her face hidden by her arms…

Never in my life had I seen my mother cry,
She was too bold,
Too strong
To ever show such an emotion.
Especially in front of me.

Growing up our relationship was distanced,
She was too busy and I didn’t understand,
Or even care.

But as I lay there,
Seeing her that way,
I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her.

And for the first time,
I saw how much she truly loved me.

She’s so fragile and innocent now…
I touch her arm,
But she doesn’t react.
I tap on her arm,
But she doesn’t react.
Then I say her name,
But nothing… no movement… no reaction.


A FEW MORE DAYS

Many people came to see me.
Seeing them with me
Made me realize how much they cared for me,
And loved me as well…

During those few days my respect for those people grew.
I saw them come in and out of my room every day.

But this day was different,
This day brought about fear—
My body gave out while sleeping.

My heart was weakening,
My body was tingling,
And I couldn’t breathe.

And as this was happening to my body,
It was also happening to me.

I sank into my chair,
Gasping for air,
‘Til the last breath came out
From both my body and me.


SOMETIME AFTER

A beam of light blinded me,
A light too bright for human eyes.
It forced my eyes shut.

I started opening my eyes
And let them adjust.
I realized I was in a whole new world,
A beautiful paradise…

I heard angelic music,
And In front of me stood a glistening pearl-like gate.

Behind it was a city made of fine gold,
With rivers,
Mountains,
And trees.

Everything there was incredibly beautiful,
I felt a happiness that I could’ve never have felt down below.

When I looked around,
I noticed I was surrounded by luminously beautiful people.
They were people I knew!
Loved ones I’d lost throughout the years.

They were coming to greet me!
But as they were,
I was blinded,
And all turned black as darkness took over…

I felt something through my body,
I heard faint voices in the distance.

Then I felt a surge of electricity bolt through me,
I heard the voices of the surgeons,
And beeping in the background.

I could see them,
Blurred figures standing over me…

Able to see clearly again—
I saw one man give me a thumbs-up…

My memory fainted…


TODAY

Now as I look back,
At the life I had before.
I’m ashamed of myself—
Letting my life go the way it did.

Those few days
That I could see how much I meant to my family,
Friends,
Co-workers.

It changed me…
Never again will I think I’m nobody,
And I have no one.

And the little time I had
To see Heaven,
The little time I had to see those I loved that’d passed on.
It changed me as well…

Now I can see,
There’s more to my life.
More I can do,
And better I can be…

Now I see
I have a purpose,
And there’s more to me than I see.