The dying and The living.

The dying

Whispers of sunlight gently kiss my skin,

A welcome reprieve from the wounds I bear 

For months on end, 

I danced in limbo across two worlds, 

Toeing the faded lines of the living 

Memories flood my phantom mind

A perpetual wheeze, lungs rattling with every breath

I looked up through my swollen eyelids

My heart –

My flesh and bones beneath me, decaying and septic

How much suffering can the human body take?

An angel returning to the heavens from whence they came –

Distantly, his gaze meets mine, a silent call to follow

The empty, yet heavy, dead weight of my burdens

 Lifts off my shoulders

As I soar upwards,

Looking down at the human vessel that once contained my soul,

And at the people that stood by his side

Some day soon, I’ll come back to visit you. 

With all my spirit, I hope you’re doing well

My lips part in a silent prayer

Fortunately, life goes on

The living

A warm embrace,

And a stark contrast against the cold, numb depths of my own being

I chased the distance between us, week after week,

Ever trapped in an hourglass of rushing sands…  

Till finally, your grasp slips through mine

I recall 

Listening to you writhe against life    

And I mourned for a soft lull that never came 

I felt my heart clench in a vise grip, flayed and torn open,

Shock and dread, a swirling mass of horror that spills out, unabated –

Through my vision, stained with tears, I see

From his back, sprouted wings;

And slowly I shake my head. A tangled knot 

Starts to unfurl in my stomach,

And my being becomes lighter. 

I imagine

The relief he must feel after that long-fought battle, 

So, so deserving of all the love my battered heart can give

But for now, you sit as a butterfly, perched on my windowsill

Feeding on the saccharine nectar of the sampaguita flowers I put out for you 

Still, sweet sorrows linger on my tongue

And unfortunately, life goes on