the floor
has been shrinking
nearly a year
since death last spoke

silence now
as the full measure
of all that has landed here
completes its message

fake boards
of hard brown vinyl
add nothing
of interest

a useless book
the telephone
apologize in kind

no more to be seen
through these eyes
nothing else to say
today

souls of the dead
and dying
drift slowly above

lonely loved-ones
fidget and fiddle
in their silent
uncomfortable
grief

only prayer
is still welcome
as the tiny pathway
slips silently
out

among the living

m(-_-)m