Michael Ferrel

Six Years

Not everyone can make death wait;
You meet it well-prepared.
You do not deny your fate,
But have faced it long and well-aware.

Though the bloom must leave the rose
The end need not come soon.
All the doors are not yet closed.
Why wait alone in an empty room?

Life has slowed to match your pace;
You often pause and rest.
Illness may have lined your face,
Yet you are patient with your distress.

Life is as it ever was;
The people you know, the place you live.
There never was a need to rush:
To become the one named palliative.

Many leave this life without a prayer;
Without a vision in their soul.
Suddenly they leave their life of care,
It seems—their cup half full.

To some your progress may seem sombre,
But it is a blessing—not a curse.
An examined life is full of promise;
A foretaste of heaven, and of peace on earth.

Copyright 2025 Michael Ferrel

Bio:

Michael, a retired social worker,  has been writing poetry for more than 30 years.  His poetry blog is Cosmic New Thresholds. He lives in Toronto. 

Donation Appeal:
To help victims of cancer and to help foster continuing research into this deadly disease, please consider donating to either The American Cancer Society or The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Thank you.

30 for 30 is sponsored by Potomac Review