Death Stands Before Me

A curse, accursed
I sit and see. nothing
I stand and hear. silence
Death

Today it wears no mask
Not hiding in its guise of promised beauty
Or masquerading in the veil of happiness
But walking open for us to see

Its visage so frightening
Though not because of gruesome horror
But its vacuum of reflection
For it is everything and nothing

And I wait to hear its voice
So often a sweet song to entice
Or a cacophony to drown out
But now it sends out silence
And it waits for me to scream

Yet I have no voice
To say “come” or “go”
So death remains in this moment
And I am frozen in its nothingness stare

I feel my heartbeat quicken, wanting me to run
But I must stay here for these breaths
Please help me not to blink
That I may see death as death and fear no more