Juxtaposition

This submission earned Amber Por an honorable mention in the Synapse Storytelling Contest creative writing category.

Sunlight beams down

Along the bay,

Streams of glistening speckles

Dance along the water

From outside the glass.

Nurses coming in and out of bedrooms,

Doctors rushing through hallways,

Alarms off left and right,

Patients staring out the window

Enjoying the light blue sky

From the inside

Of these small hospital rooms

Are drawn into reality by

Monitors beeping constantly.

Another blood draw here,

Another vital there,
Another visitor stopping by
Another neighbor in the room next door dies;

It never seems to end does it?

Life so tangible throughout the years

Becomes hollow,

Becomes empty,

Becomes a far beyond dream,

Unattainable within reach.

The body craves air,

But oh, how it can feel so winded

Fighting between existing, inhaling

And exhaling its last breaths

Subtly into the atmosphere.
Oh, how peaceful and quiet

Death entices the soul into

A gentle slumber —

Eternal do not disturb mode.

What a blessing and a curse it is
To experience the world this deeply.