DEATH Poem: A Dying of The Light, by C.E. Narvaez

I wake as if it’s any other day
And for a few blissful moments I can forget
That this will be the day I have to say goodbye

In the early morning chill and darkness
You lie in my arms, my nose buried in the soft silver fur of your neck
I inhale the faint smell of corn chips and that special something that is all your own

The alarm on my phone plays its soft melody, persistent despite all the times I’ve hit snooze
I pull you closer and place a soft kiss between your characteristic floppy ears
And relish how you snuggle even closer, your warm breath fans across my cheeks

Slowly, gently, I slide my arms out from around you and get ready for the day
On our morning walk, the polished, verdant streets are quiet
And I can feel your buoyant smile each time your eyes meet mine

I ask you if you are ready and look down at you by my side
the sight of your gold and sapphire eyes bright and full of peace in the dawning light
as you gaze up at me in your navy puffer coat, mist clinging to every inhale,
etches onto the back of my eyelids, and surfaces each time I close my eyes

Now, when the time has finally come and we sit in that small, white room—
you on your bed and the rest of us forming a circle around you—
I swallow every anguished sob and lift my lips into a watery smile

You look at only me with a smile that is both soft and wide
I hold your face in both of my palms as your eyes fall closed
and wait for the light to leave me

When you rise into the clouds without me,
I let my body fall over yours and shatter
not knowing how to sail through the fog you left in your wake