Goodbye

A poem about saying goodbye to aging parents and family members

He is sitting in bed,

my mother beside him.

She’s gentle tonight -a rare scene.

His jammies have words on the front,

like a baby’s;

He’s ancient and young all at once.

He holds out a hand.

The whole thing is shaking.

I take it in mine, very briefly.

This is the best we can do at goodbye;

he usually kisses my cheek.

This summer he did so, one hand on his cane.

Now he can scarcely stand up.

You’ll love your new mattress.

We’ll see, he replies.

You will; it’ll change your whole world.

Bed is a solace, he says

as my mom tucks him in.

He looks pale, stiff, and bloated.

Well thanks Lauren… yeah…

he says in his way.

Thanks for the visit, and Christmas.

I’ll be seeing you soon,

in the summer, I say,

but neither of us is so sure.