Three Shades Of Grey

One

my friend’s mind is affected

by the chemo…memory shot

concentration gone…but I get

to see glimpses…whispers…

still the way he was.

Two

all the excitement in the world…

all the changes, all the trends,

the fads, the wars, disasters,

mask one thing:  the certainty

of nightfall.

Three

was it worth it…this life I mean…

old age is leaving its literature

on my doorstep…senses tone down

their brightness…was it at all real…

distant sounds…hauntingly familiar…

how old was I? I don’t remember…

sometimes we sit together

and don’t speak…a slight smile

as if we’ve failed.