The Great Equalizer

death, you are the ultimate equalizer

patiently biding your time

while we fill our little days

with one thing and another

we strive to be strong

we strive to be rich

we strive to be pretty

we grasp what we have

because we're fooled into thinking

that gives our life meaning

 

you laugh at our striving

at its hollowness and vanity

we hide you in a big dark closet

we lock the door with a chain,

throw away the key

we pretend you are not there

and rarely even mention your name

 

 until you start knocking

or until you bust the door down

and stand in our presence

we still don't want to see you

we turn our backs on you

ignore you

pretend you are invisible

it's likely that we'll never

embrace you as a friend

and that's as it should be

but if we let you out of

your dark closet

once in a while

acknowledged your existence

and the fact that

no matter how hard we try

to make you invisible

you're never going to go away

i know we could learn from you

and i'm pretty sure

that what we would learn

is that you're not quite as scary

as we make you out to be

i apologize for crossing back over to the dark side here.  the hospice patient i have been visiting just passed away.  I had written this while i was doing the training last year and wanted to share.  just keepin it real.