you are a stranger here
old and dying- eyes sad and staring
and you don’t answer our meaningless questions
you don’t bother to participate
in the endless routines of days and nights
all mixed together.
and I want to tell you
(even though you may not hear me)
that it’s all right.
there’s nothing here to wake up to
but tubes and wires and pain and the
anxious faces of people you don’t know.
But I believe
that somewhere inside yourself
you are young again and strong and free
living happy memories with people you have loved.
so it’s all right.
because I see in your eyes
wisdom and strength and the essence
of the best that you have been-
just as I see in a eyes of a child
the promise and hope of tomorrow.