Life can be too short

justamjustam Posts: 21,410
edited November 2023 in Poetry, Prose, Music & Art

Got a message the other day

my sister’s husband has aggressive cancer

a type that is always fatal

I have to talk to her this weekend and

what do I say?

what can I say?

“Life can be too short.”

Tell her we’re here

Tell her we love her

But what else?!!


I don’t know.

Out of the blue it happened

they are without offspring


People say that loved ones who die stay with us

And that may be true to some extent

But you can’t have a conversation with ‘em

and any love left is one-sided

This “hold ‘em in your heart” pacification is like

being given a single cracker when you’re starving

so much less than nourishing

the lack of response from a buried person is so LOUDLY silent


I don’t know what I’d do if her experience was mine

It’s terrifying

In one day:

Lose your best friend, lose your love, lose your daily companion

Move him to the hospital and know he’s never coming home


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


The shock of her loss

 it makes me appreciate the give and take of relationships more today

The back and forth of two-sided love

We can’t take it for granted

For one day, someone of 2 will be left with the

crumbs of a magnificent meal 

a bunch of old photos

and a bed that is bigger than one person needs 


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Post edited by justam on
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