Earth Enters Hospice Care

The diagnosis was terminal,

the patient’s suffering evident,

from being battered and neglected 

through her many years

Continuously harmed

by the very ones 

for whom she had

endlessly provided

But her offerings

were never sufficient

Greedily they always

demanded more

They took everything

she could give,

using it momentarily

then discarding it

carelessly on her floor

The rot piled quicker

than she could handle,

seeping into her soil,

into her water

She lay on her death bed,

the thermometer in her mouth

noting the alarming rate

with which her temperature

continued to rise

As her sickness escalated,

calls to her family were made

Many denied she was sick at all,

Many wished they could help

but were too busy 

with their own lives

and couldn’t be bothered

to help ease her pain,

Some simply ignored 

the phone’s insistent ringing

Unwilling to admit 

they cannot live

without her,

that their children 

will suffer the consequences 

of their indifference

But the patient

won’t fully die,

at some point

the invasive parasites

that push her 

relentlessly

towards her demise

will cease to be,

and then finally,

with their weight

off her sagging shoulders,

she can begin to heal

Written July 24, 2019