The Shadows: Death

These poems are from a poetry workshop we had at our church. They are based on the Seven Shadows of the Cross: Betrayal, Desertion, Unshared Vigil, Accusation, Crucifixion, Death, Burial. 

We weren't actually assigned this one. The poetry workshop ended with Resurrection, but that isn't one of The Shadows. I went ahead and wrote this one so I had a complete set. Yeah, I know I'm weird. 

DEATH

It is the finality of it all
Every moment of my life they were there
And then they weren’t
An inauspicious Tuesday morning, shattered by the ringing of the phone
An agonizing bedside vigil, ended with a merciful final breath
A busy Saturday afternoon, interrupted by a shocking video chat. 
Different scenarios, the same result
Life being thrown off its axis
Trying in vain to comprehend a life without them
Attempting to fill the hole ripped in my heart
Even though death is natural, it feels so abnormal
Suddenly a person doesn’t exist
Reduced to a ghost in my memories
A note in my history 
A lifetime of phone calls and basketball games and key lime pies
Erased in an instant
Relegated to my mental junkyard
Fading over the years
Replaced by the experiences that they never will share
Weddings, births, graduations
Events marking the passage of time
As I follow in their steps to common end

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