We saw you at the window
As the car drove in the drive,
You had come here to die
But were waiting and alive.
The summer days were passing
And each day we saw your lovely face,
You had come here to die
But slowed death down to your pace.
A wheel-chair visit tom the grounds
Along the ward down by the lift,
You had come here to die
But were smiling as if you had received a gift.
New visitors came every day
Grandchildren, husband, daughters and your son
They peeped around the door to see
You smiling, with time for everyone.
You were moved upstairs
And the nurses hovered round your bed
You had come here to die
But lingered on instead.
The memory of you is etched
So deep in me, and your loveliness in my eye
When death moved in it thought it fetched
Someone who could never die.
June 2013