SEIZE EACH MOMENT

I know several people who are dealing with loved ones whose lives have been infected with cancer.  To me that is what it is; a contamination, a pollution, a corruption of precious, loved people.  I have heard the pain and anguish in their voices, seen the shock and bewilderment in their eyes.  It is like a bomb has exploded, everyone involved is wounded, and there is nothing to heal them.  Pain and disbelief bleeds from them.
Watching a loved one going through treatments, pain, suffering, and possibly the realization that there will be no future, is the most brutal and heartrendering experience.  There may be only one fatality, but there are many mortally wounded souls. 
Watching what these people, these friends, have been going through, and what I had once gone through with my grandmother, instilled in the  a need to write a poem.  And here it is:

NO FAREWELL


I am not ready to say goodbye,
with many more memories to share
together.
        Walks
               and talks
                      and laughter.
Shells to gather
          vistas to behold.
I want birthdays and anniversaries,
holidays and vacations,
more to fill my heart.
I yearn to share skies
          freckled with waltzing stars,
vibrant sunrises
          peeking over hilltops,
lofty firs
          silhouetted in a stalking fog,
spherical raindrops
          jewelling emerald leaves,
vibrant butterflies
          dancing in a field of flowers,
and tranquil sunsets
          settling to sleep.
It is all more significant,
          more memorable shared.

I cannot bid adieu
                         to you.

I am not ready to say goodbye.