Unforgettable Day

five thirty am
phone comes to life
four messages from my ex

usually ignored or deleted
without attention inexplicably
compelled to listen

this call more
frantic than usual
Joe’s been in an accident

between sobs
...‘a head injury
he won’t survive hurry’

panic
race to hospital
doctors confirm

i hold his flaccid hand
and cry
for hours

we escort him to surgery
sobbing as they remove life support
one last breath and he is gone

vial organs
harvested (i hate that word)
so others can live

three weeks later
visit to mortuary pick up cremains
everyone is so placid

ashes in cardboard box

we visit his favorite places
on the way out of town
to the lake in the mountains

i scatter my son into clear water
eventually flowing into streams rivers the sea
ocean evaporating

monsoon rains fall in desert
raindrops blending
with tears

(C) 2020