There he lies
A factual account of a current in progress event within my extended family: caveat… My B.I.L. Passed this morning subsequent to the below being written.
There he lies
The brother of my beloved wife
The one whom I deny
For his hurtful ways
His disdain for others
His history of past transgressions
There he lies
Machines breathing for him
Machines monitoring every function
Heartbeat… breath… eliminations…
As nurses clean his soiled linen
There he lies
Victim of a horror
An accident
That never should have happened
Preventable
One single slip…
One misstep
In front of a machine
A mobile machine operated..
Operated by someone inattentive
His pelvis crushed…
Legs bent
Feet broken
There he lies
Comatose
Not rousing from his medicated torpor
Possibly not “there” any more
There he lies
This man whom has violated so much
Violated my trust
The sanctity of my home
The love of his sister… my wife
There he lies
Surrounded by those who care
Shall I be one of them?
Shall I not?
Shall I join his wife in fervent prayer?
Or shall I merely…
Shake my head?
Move on…
I am there (off and on) for my beloved wife
And, in small part, for me
For the sake of my own immortal soul
Can I be there for him?
I don’t truly know…
Yet…
There he lies
***********************************
Note: Subsequent to this being published, my brother-in-law has passed to his reward. This occurred Sat 3/21/26, the morning after I posted the above. 🥺
About the Creator
Andrew C McDonald
Andrew McDonald was a 911 dispatcher for 30 yrs with a B.S. in Math (1985). He served as an Army officer 1985 to 1992, honorably exiting a captain.
https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Keys-Andrew-C-McDonald-ebook/dp/B07VM843XL?ref_=ast_author_dp
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