Ferryman with passenger.

Witness

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Today is the worst day of her life

As for me, it's Tuesday

 

I try to hold space for her as if

holding out my cupped hands to catch her tears

If grief comes in waves,

She is leagues away from the surface

I am watching from the window of a submarine

Wishing I could tow her to shore

 

But there are no right words

No magic wand to wave

No further treatment options

 

If you walk the hall you hear

Rhythmic, persistent chimes

Cries for help

Television commercial jingles

Liberty liberty liberty liberty

Filtering from the doorways

 

Sometimes, your hear a bell clanging jubilantly

Clapping and whooping

Our cheers for those who have reached dry land

 

We help Lazarus rise, then

We consign your beloved onto Charon's ferry, then

We stick a band-aid on the dam breach

In random sequences for twelve hour stretches

of time that dilates and contracts

 

We have poured over tomes,

we have drilled the formations, the formulations

Despite our arsenal of wisdom and weapons

Sometimes all we can do is witness