That Day

That Day

I wasn’t there that day at the end

When you left me behind

Your sleep became deeper

Until you drifted away

In a haze of morphine

 

I wasn’t there when the snow came

And the roads were blocked

The lawns white carpeted

The old mansion black-shadowed

As if it knew somehow

 

I wasn’t there when they took you away

To wait alone in that Chapel of Rest

In the care of strangers

Awaiting clear instructions

Before the final journey

 

But I was there on the very last day

When we gathered together

And gave thanks for your life

When it was finally all over

And there was nothing more to say

Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2021