in recent days i have watched a man drifting
in and out,
there and back,
this and another place.
I have heard him speak,
to unseen listeners while wakefully sleeping,
sharing thoughts and asking questions,
breathing so lightly that i hold my breath
to see if he has gone.
In recent days i realised that we go in stages,
a step at a time over the years of our lives,
that dying a day at time is how,
we unconsciously acclimatise ourselves,
to the concept of death,
watching others die,
learning to lose the hurt.
to keep on until our turn,
until we drift in and out,
there and back,
from here to another place,
until the end.