When Darkness Falls

Tightness in the throat,
Like an unseen noose drawing closer and closer.
The cringe in the shoulder,
For an unbearable is inevitable,
Short breath, short breath, short breath.
The Fading light steals
The last hope.

All I remember:
The lost moments when
I sat to see the news,
Service left behind as "too tiring."
The passing hours, screen-tied
While opportunities for prayer passed by
Untaken.
The minutes spent
While she reads, breathes and sits
Unseen.

The shadow of the Cross, ensnaring,
In dread do I feel its timber bite my collarbone
Rage, for "how much more?" is my constant lament,
Though I never want to know.

When the light can only be imagined,
Then I must live my imagination.
When the road turns to torrent,
I must drag one foot in front of the other
Onward, one unendurable step after another,
One at a time, always.

For when Darkness falls,
We must listen,
Follow and serve even through our
Our broken hearts.
For only then will we see
The Light.