Rivulets of sorrow meandering
down tear-stained skin.
“Keep her comfortable
until it’s time.”
Simple words-
echoes
of eternal reminder within.
You rise.
Guiding her
through the threshold
into the chill,
shudders
of realization emerge.
You survey
the molting trees,
their arid leaves
embellishing her hair
like fragments of
woven rhinestones.
As if they weep for her.
As if even the ambiances
of ages past are beseeching
her not to leave.
Soon arrives the Foehn,
holding you within
its warm embrace.
Its breaths,
whispering lines of truth,
sculpt a bittersweet tune
as they herald
the evening’s arrival.
You understand.
Cloaked
by lyrics of singing ivy,
her expression calms,
your fears dissolve.
Consoled by a draft possessive,
you cradle her
through the darkness
and follow her
toward the seraph’s call
into the fold of
midnight slumber.
•
Categories: All Poetry, Death & Loss, Medical Poetry, Medicine, Poetry by Phoebe
![On the Days That Hurt [a poem]](https://i0.wp.com/healthinspiration.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pexels-photo-355235.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=40%2C40){kind=small}
![The Fire Didn’t Burn You Down [a poem]](https://i0.wp.com/healthinspiration.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/butterfly-chess-board-women-s-board-edelfalter-158327.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=40%2C40){kind=small}
What a lovely piece! I am especially fond of:
” its arid leaves
embellishing her hair
like fragments of
woven rhinestones.”
I can’t wait to see what we have in store for each other! 😀 Jamy
Hi Jamy,
Thank you! And I have enjoyed what I’ve read so far on your blog and also look forward to reading more! Best wishes. 🙂 -phoebe
The Ferryman takes many forms but none finer or more elegant than this. Nice work.
Thanks so much, Mike. That means a lot. 🙂
Pease can help you cross over into eternity. Thanks for portraying that in your poetry. Blessings.
Thank you for reading and for your words. Take care! 🙂
Affectionate and visual-evoking, you can almost sense the tranquil departure.
Yes. I remember being in a small bedroom with a woman unafraid in her last hour. I reflected that there was not another place in the city that was more real or sacred.