did you notice, at first?

was there an ache in your side,

a weight to your step that you

couldn’t quite remember

if it had always been there too?

the shiver of your hands:

attributed to winter?

or the slow rise of a new

dictator in your brain,

who may have been benign –

were you scared?

is it true that when

you learn you’re dying,

roses smell sweeter?

did you watch in agony

as friend after friend departed,

knowing you would soon join them?

the life cycle:

it continues forever.

we decompose, we pass on –

whichever euphemism you choose –

and new life begins.

but what happens when you see the end?

circles can’t end,

yet our life comes to a stop.

the end enters our line of sight.

when logic fails,

and reason disappears,

what can you do?

are there any choices left to make?

is it irrationality, or senility?

do you accept your demise

and willingly walk to the end

to plod towards darkness–

towards whatever may await you?

or do you fight back?

can we escape it?

can you approach darkness cautiously,

until it pulls at you,

consuming you bit by bit,

until you can’t help but notice you’re –