There is always a pause
Before death finally comes
A moment that lingers
Between so very different worlds
After such labor
And such pain
When the breathing
Becomes so rapid
It screeches out
Screaming its way
Out of your dry mouth
Each breath is an effort
Like no other
As your lungs heave
Trying to keep going
Knowing you are almost there
The race is almost over
Your time has come
As your eyes
Hang open
In deep empty sockets
That have become
As dark as a storm
Watching every movement
Knowing it will be your last
You will ever see
Hoping to find an answer
To all the questions
You still had left
Your fingers twitch desperately
Try to fix
All the things left broken
Your skin prickles
Trying to feel
All that was never known
Your legs become restless
Trying to run that last
Stretch of the race
When suddenly you hear it
The noise you have been waiting for
Dying for inside
A soft yet urgent call
So you let your muscles loosen
And forget about all else
There is nothing left to see
Nothing left to touch
All that is left broken
Shall remain that way forever
And the race
Is finally complete
As your breathing slows
A smile plays
On your cracked lips
You know it is time to go
Then the world seems to stop
Standing on its toes
Then the long pause
And you are no more