The patter of rain reminds me of moments,

Each drop a memory lost as it splashes,

They’re all scenes falling fast, out of focus,

I’ll soon be like them in the ground in ashes.

The shadow man appears again at my window,

Tucked in his turtle neck and long coat,

The air is escaping my body turns cold,

I stop pulling breath through my dry throat.

He points to me with his bony finger,

His eye sockets glow full of a life of their own,

His duty is to be done and I dare not hinder,

The seeds of my fate have truly been sewn.

A flutter of life flickers as my eyes start to close,

Delicate wings land on his still pointed finger,

The vessel with which he will carry my soul,

To the next realm while my body here lingers.

Death is what we call him by no other name,

I welcome the end its been a pleasure to live,

I hide not pride, anger, sadness or even shame,

In my loved one’s memories I shall survive.

I am at peace, as I leave this world behind,

Come what may next I must accept my demise,

The vessel of the butterfly my soul shall find,

In cool air under shade with wings I rise.

On to the resting place of souls I am carried,

Looking back at my still body I smile,

My hand is being held by the woman I married,

You I will miss, but reunite we shall in a while.

Shadow man takes steps much like the rain,

With each step forward he starts to fade,

Pointing still to my destination away,

From this world onto the next forever in shade.