With dark expectations, we gathered
With hope fleeting, we challenged the dark knowledge
We surrounded the man whose future laid in the balance
His life narrowed to a few gestures of his hand or a blink of his eye
As his blood poured.. his spirit faded
It’s funny how you can rationalize another’s life away when it isn’t yours
Starvation blatantly on display as thirst dried his aspect.. With two weeks of torture
The man faced the darkness while others fought over his belongings and morality
His time came to an end..the light faded from his eyes as a final breath released
Wailing could be heard as the people rushed to
Witness his departure
The clouds gathered… that August day
And at the moment of his last breath..rain began to fall..as if the very sky shed tears to mark the man’s passing
A man gone..
A memory created
It was a Wednesday
When my father died.

An Original Poem by H.R. Beebe