TIME TO CHECK OUT

I've spent the past month in the arms of pain
Unable to move, prayers were not substantiated 
In the hush of the dusk, where shadows entwine,  
A whisper I heard, you are running out of time.

Just one more tomorrow, a blink of the light 
A few minutes to say I'm sorry, to make things right 
But the clock is ticking, each second a chime,  
And a symphony whispered it's the end of the line.

Please! I begged, with unspoken words 
Just the blinking of the eyes, thinking of the underworld 
There's just one more thing I would like to do 
To kiss my enemies before death's tunnel, I pass through.

With arms full of stories, I gather them tight,  
Like echoes of laughter that danced in the light.  
Yet time is a thief with a delicate touch,  
It weaves through our fingers; we hold on too much.  

With a farewell unspoken, I exit the door 
From a temporary stay into the arms of forever more.
In every ending, a new path begins,  
From Earth's realm, I'm checking out, 
 And to the unknown, I'm checking in.

Wilford Barker.