Life Lessons

I sat at the bedside
of a dying man.
With tears in his eyes
he reached for my hand.

Technology had failed him
his prognosis very poor.
He needed something different
He needed something more.

The BP cuffs wraps tightly
around his dwindling arm,
Tell me the numbers I look for
to guarantee no harm.

It all seems so redundant
just a little matter of fact,
For the boundaries of life and death
are far to abstract.

Instinctively, I knew his needs
It all seemed crystal clear,
My touch, my voice, my presence
as the angel of death loomed near.

His respirations were labored now
His consciousness began to fade
I remembered all the times we shared
and the promises that we made

To remember what really matters
within the confines of the heart.
To love, to honor, and cherish
and kindness to impart

My teacher of life's lessons
took his final breath
I felt the peace within his soul
His spirit now at rest.

This is the essence of caring
The touch of the human soul
No BP cuff or stethoscope
Will ever make one whole.