The Last Chance
I didn’t take the wheelchair!
The nurse was sceptical
when I confidently said
that I can walk downstairs
…even though I was too weak,
my will was strong enough.
I remember how strange it felt
I was walking after many days
It felt surreal…I was going home!
The smell of sanitizer slowly faded
as I walked towards the elevator
awaiting it to open its arms one last time.
With a ding we reached the ground floor
The nurse lead the way
deftly balancing my reports under her arm.
I clearly remember the cold feeling
as we crossed the morgue…
I willed myself to look straight ahead.
Light poured in from the entrance
I blinked to adjust my eyes and ears
to the light and sound of the day.
Aah…it felt warm…it felt good…alive!
My parents stood there waiting for me
I was finally going home.
But the smell and sounds still haunts…
peeping from behind the curtain of mind
Unwilling to be shaken off
or even forgotten…nah…not yet!
Neither the ambulance sirens
nor the flatlining machines.
That was a close call…too close.
I breathe today…many lost their breaths
shutting down the organs one by one
and in a matter of minutes…end came.
Pillows stayed wet with last tears
someone struggled hard but lost…alas!
No amount of words can empathize
what one has lost… time is irreversible.
Nope, words do not affect me anymore
for I lost a big part of me when I struggled
to breathe…an endless race against time
thinking perhaps this was my last breath!
This pandemic isn’t a joke
but the gravity of the situation
is only realised by those who faced it.
Is it really necessary to bet on one’s life?
It’s all over the moment you stop breathing.
Not everyone gets a last chance!
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Tacit Verses by Tanushree 