He reclines in a hospital bed
Body long, lean from
The merciless disease.
Eyes curious,
Lightning blinks of life.
We engage in rigorous
Conversation. His volcano
Emotions spill out,
Flow down the mountain
Into the valley of this city
Of passion and loss.
"I am forty, I had a
Heart attack, I am
Also dying of cancer,"
He confesses matter-of-factly.
My heart fills with
Sorrow for him. The worst
Of all, he tells me with
Anger born of being
Stereotyped an outcast, is
That the doctors and nurses
Failed to believe him.
I listen with empathy
As his tidal wave tales
Are released. Soon waves
Disappear, calm and peace
Touch this soul. Now he
Is not afraid of the big sleep.