the dying

it's easier to mend
and care
for the sick
than it is being sick
and having
to be waited upon.
it's not a bad thing
to die young,
to die suddenly
and be gone.
no lingering in bed,
prodded
and pulled in all
directions, each
one leading to a painful
elongated death.
what is there to say
to the dying
that isn't weak and full
of tomorrows,
your job, your children,
your life
is ahead of you,
all of it spilling out
in awkward words.
what is there that
the dying can say in return,
but farewell, over
and over again
with each old passing
day.