Richard Lackman Poems

As long as I live I will always remember
The dark dreary desolate days of November
With lengthening nights and a chill in the air
And a strong wind that warns everyone to prepare
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The metronome for life remains the ever changing tide
Flowing in and ebbing out with ever constant stride
Wearing down the barriers that keep the seas constrained
With unsurpassed tenacity, its nature is ingrained
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As I walk on a sunny April day
And smell the sweet aroma of the spring
I feel life's resurrection in a way
That only green grass and blue skies can bring
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I knew I'd finally found my one true love
After years of searching fruitlessly
She came to me as gently as a dove
And stilled the winds of my uncertainty
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Four white walls and a ceiling light defined my scenic view
A small TV on a pull out arm and a picture quite askew
Old tan spreads and thin white sheets were thrown about the bed
And fell in heaps about my feet like a puffy thunderhead
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He started as a little boy from any small hometown
He loved to throw and hit a ball but never gained renown
His parents taught him right from wrong and how to do his best
So he grew up in a normal way about like all the rest
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And finally it is my turn so as a patient I did learn
About my dreadful diagnosis and unfortunate prognosis.
Throughout my medical career I have had a gnawing fear
As to how I would respond or have the strength to look beyond
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Today I sadly watched a patient die
Despite my efforts to halt his disease
He used his time on earth to beautify
His surroundings and put us at ease
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Why should it be so difficult for people to be nice
And I am talking everyday not only once or twice
Why should it be so hard for folks to care for one another
Why should it be so hard to treat each stranger like a brother
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At last I am finally dying as so clearly I was told
While in my bed I'm lying keeping shelter from the cold
I knew that it was coming and so really no surprise
As my senses all are numbing looking out through withered eyes
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