No Exceptions Poem by Ellen Shaw

If I had the words
you would hear me out
you would hear the fear
the loss the doubt
If my mouth could work
if my tongue could dance
you would hear me beg
for one more chance
If sounds were made
to run through the air
you would hear my pain
But would you care?
If my heart could tell my mind
what to feel
Would you see me?
Would I be real?
If I had the words
you would hear the meaning
the whispered wish
of a broken being
If I wasn't just a body
if I was still here inside
you would let me choose
let me decide
But I have no words
I have no mind
I have no heart
that I can find
You close your eyes
you take away
what I held tightly
and tenderly each day
You shake your head
tell me no
I hear you tell me
it is time to go
I am not here
You are there
You can't see me
I am not anywhere
If I had the words
you would hear me ask
to keep the light
that guided me through the dark