Bald

The sliding doors lead me into a nightmare
Rows and rows of hollow eyes and balding heads.

Fear permeates my skin, like radiation to theirs.
Their worries are hidden behind blockades of support

Paralysis doesn’t allow me to move
Amazed at the youth of these victims.

Not knowing what to do,
I clasp his bony fingers in mine.

A smile breaks across his face and joy resonates throughout the room,
For a moment, his eyes flicker with light.

For a moment he isn’t dying
He isn’t scared.