When A Friend Is Dying Poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen

When a friend is dying,
then we begin to think
of life's injustice when
the one we love has to
be taken away from us.

When a friend is dying,
then we begin to see
how fragile life is
that at a wink of an eye
it disappears and dies.

When a friend is dying,
then we begin to
collect memories
of the time we've shared
and in our hearts we treasure.

When a friend is dying,
then we begin to fetch
strength and hope
from the scriptures
of our own religion.

When a friend is dying,
we shed tears and find
comfort in the embrace
and presence of all those
who with us also mourn.